Opposing Destinies Intertwined: Fire or Ice
by Cho 17
Summary: LinkXTetra! Link's a pirate hunter who's bent on revenge, and Tetra's a pirate that wants desperately to find her place in the world they live in. These two enemies' worlds entangle when they realize they may not be so different from each other afterall.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda because it is taken by Nintendo's copyrights. Everything belongs to them! **

**Opposing Destinies Intertwine: Fire and Ice**

Prologue

"There once was legend that foretold of a giant and mystical relic that was said to have been passed down from the goddesses themselves, the Triforce," a young woman said with a sweet voice. She was speaking softly to her daughter, while stroking the girl's golden hair in a loving manner. Her daughter smiled excitedly, while tightening her grip on a chain that was tied to a triangular piece of silver.

"And… what about this relic mother?" the young girl asked. She sat up in her queen sized bed, anxious to hear the rest of the tale. Her mother smiled and giggled a little.

"Well… once it had descended upon the land, men sought after it to obtain its glorious powers only to fail in their search, **each** and **every** one of them."

"Yes? Why was that mother?"

"It was hidden into a special world Tetra, a world that men can only dream of entering. The world parallel to our own and much more glorious," was her mother's reply. Tetra's eyes lit up with the mere thought of such a place and she subconsciously looked at a map her mother kept tacked on the wall of her room. Her mother had once said it was a treasure map but it didn't show the location of the treasure because it was only one piece of much larger map. Time and time again Tetra liked to imagine that the treasure maps together showed the location to the world her mother had just described and the Triforce.

"How glorious was this place mother?" Tetra asked, returning her attention back to her mother, who seemed oblivious to Tetra's reveries. The young woman poked Tetra's nose lovingly and said, "Wonderfully, amazingly, glorious Tetra. Something that can be rarely found in dreams…"

"Wow… But why couldn't they enter it mother?"

"Because the entrance to the world was sealed by the Seven Wise Men into the Temple of Time and could only be opened by collecting the Three Spiritual Stones and placing them in their respective places around the Door of Time inside the temple. This is a secret that only the members of Hyrule's Royal Family know…," her mother explained, "Can you tell me why this is?"

"Because if anyone gets their hands on the Triforce, they can have any wish granted. And if the bearer has an evil heart the world would be consumed by evil. Of course, if the bearer of the Triforce has a pure heart, the world would be led into an age of prosperity instead. Right mama?" Tetra answered. She stuck her nose in the air with pride in her answer, but her mother flicked it and said, "Yes, that's all true Tetra, but that's not why the Royal Family knows the secret about the temple. It's because we are descendants of the Seven Wise Men." Her mother kissed her head softly and gently pushed Tetra back underneath her warm comforter.

"Now, it would be time for sleep," Tetra's mother stated as she tucked the girl in. Tetra sighed angrily and whined with disappointment.

"Now? But what about the Hero of Time? What about Hyrule and the Age of Darkness?"

"All in good time Tetra. All in good time…," her mother whispered. She kissed Tetra's head and left the room. Tetra smiled a little and looked at the chain she kept with her. The triangle glistened with white light and as it twirled back and forth, the light bounced off of Tetra's face and various parts of the room. Tetra found the light entrancing. Soon her eyes were closed and she was dreaming about the Triforce and the world beyond that her mother would slowly reveal to her in due time.

When she opened her eyes, she was standing in front of her mother's tombstone. Her heart was frozen and she found it hard to cry. She was stuck in a time when she and her mother lived together and had all the time in the world. She was stuck in her dreams about the Triforce, the legend that was now lost as the last of those who knew about it went away with the wind…

Author's note: Sorry if the story about the Triforce is a little mixed up as far as the game titles go but I mixed Wind Waker and Ocarina of Time together a little bit to give the story a little ... I dunno... flavor? Please review and lemme now how its working.


	2. Chapter 1:Happiness and Sadness

**Opposing Destinies Intertwine: Fire and Ice**

Chapter 1: Happiness and Sadness

It was a dark night… like most are when there's an invisible new moon in the starry sky. Unlike most nights, however, when the young girl was asleep safe in her bed, she was awake and running for her life.

Tetra's lungs were gasping for air to fill themselves with, but no matter how much air they obtained, it was gone a few seconds later. Tetra kept running, despite the burning in her lungs. There was no way that she would stop running until she was far, far away from that cursed hellhole that she'd once called home. That she promised herself. But as she ran, she was completely oblivious to the things going on around her and soon found herself in a situation that was by far worse then her life at the castle. Pausing, she caught her breath and lay in the dirt on her gut and covered her mouth so they wouldn't hear her breathing.

"Where'd she get to? I just don't understand what we did wrong," a hoarse monotonous voice said questioningly. He didn't stand off too far from where Tetra was laying down. Another man grunted and replied, "Maybe you shouldn't have showed her that gun. In any case, that little poppy couldn't have gotten too far… 'Specially since she ain't alone. Heh! You go that way. I'm going this way." After that, Tetra heard two pairs of feet walking away in different directions. Uncovering her mouth, the girl dared to breathe the smallest breath she could, and quickly crawled away on her belly.

After Tetra had run away from home, she had run into a small girl no older than herself, who had been caught up in some nasty business with some shady characters that Tetra wanted no business with. Once she learned that the two men planned to use the other girl in some immoral business, Tetra had no choice but to intercede. After hurting the two men, she and the other girl made a run for it, but the men didn't have any mind of letting them get away so easily. Finally separating, Tetra led the men on her trail that they had followed until now.

"Hey! Hurry up before they come back!" Tetra whispered. She'd made her way back to the port where she'd left the other girl for protection. The other girl smiled brightly and nodded her head in agreement. Together they both raced to an unoccupied boat and untied it. It swayed a little as the waves dragged it from its still position on the shore. Tetra jumped in first and then helped her partner, who nearly tripped as her lithe body gave way under her. Taking the oars, Tetra was soon easily paddling away from the familiar shores of Windfall Island…

The two girls remained silent as the beach became a small speck in the horizon, each troubled with the present situation. Trying her best to smile reassuringly, Tetra said, "At least we showed them…" The other girl smiled her bright smile and nodded in agreement. Since they'd met that's all the girl ever did. Tetra began to wonder if she was dumb.

"I'm Tetra by the way. What's your name?" The other girl picked at some scabs on her arms and, at first, appeared not to hear her question. After a few minutes, she softly answered, "Aryll…"

"That's a nice name," Tetra offered, which made Aryll blush a little. They were quiet again and Tetra was a little thankful for the silence because it gave her a chance to decide what she wanted to do now that she was free of her cage. She absentmindedly grasped the chain around her neck that had the silver triangle tied to it. The triangle seemed to illuminate in its own light and Aryll looked at it in awe.

"That's pretty…," she mumbled. Tetra looked at Aryll then down at her hand and grinned a little.

"Thanks… my mother gave it to me…"

"Is your mother a princess or some kind of duchess?" Aryll questioned. Curiosity was written in her facial expression and her eyes held a questioning glint within them that was brought on by the glowing of the necklace. Without smiling, Tetra answered, "It wouldn't matter what she was now because she's dead." Almost immediately Aryll's curiosity was replaced by guilt and she said, "I… I'm sorry…"

"There's no point in apologizing! It wasn't your fault. Anyway, I'm not sad about it. In a way, I'm pissed that this is the only thing she left me. I told her so tonight when I visited her grave. It was before I met you," Tetra explained. She smiled a little as she thought to herself, "_Yea… I'm very_ _angry…_" That's how she tried to interpret the emptiness that was left after her mother died. She tried to call it sadness once, but she never cried. It very well could be anger because Tetra hated her life after her mother had died and forcefully blamed her for it. Aryll studied the thoughtful expression on Tetra's face and smiled a little.

"It's kind of hard to interpret the feeling huh? I was the same way at first. When Ganondorf's pirate fleet attacked my island, I lost my grandma and my older brother. I was so empty I didn't know what to make of it… But then I'd gotten sad and missed them with a passion. I ended up getting into some trouble trying not to think of them and then, suddenly I started remembering all the good times we had and I got really happy. Now I'm not empty anymore," Aryll told with her bright smile present. Tetra stared at her for a minute before tears began to cascade down her cheeks.

"I… I never cried… I never… understood why that was. I thought I was terrible and… I even… I even started to blame her for everything but then…," Tetra said trailing off at the end. Aryll smiled understandingly and hugged her.

"Don't worry. Sadness always changes into happiness. Give it time." Tetra sniffled a little bit more before her tears stopped and she contemplated Aryll's words. The last time she thought she had time, it was taken. She didn't want to waste it getting over something she already had.

"Anyway… Seems like we're both alone now huh? Do you want to travel with me?"

"Where are we going?"

"Haven't decided, but anywhere is better than no where… and… I really want to find something but have no where to start. I'm going to need help," Tetra said. Aryll smiled happily.

"Okay!"

That night marked the ends of their previous lives and the beginning of brand new, but cursed existences that would ultimately be challenged by the mistress fate.


	3. Chapter 2:Friends and Foes

Author's Note: Despite my lack of feed back, I thought that I'd at least keep posting new chapters for the two who **were** kind enough to review. All thoughts are appreciated. I hope you enjoy the newest installment of the story! o Please! R&R!

Chapter 2: Friends and Foes

10 years later…

Maybe it was the frosty look that the young man had given him. It was a look that was void of any emotion besides utter determination as well as a ferocious hatred that sent chills down the spines of any poor soul within range. If looks could kill, the trifling pirate would have been six feet under by now. Luckily for him, however, life on the streets and on the equally terrifying sea taught him a valuable lesson: when the going got tough, get the hell out of dodge! He was running now, fleeing the soul freezing look and the young man it belonged to.

Link never got tired of it. The thrill of the chase always got his blood rushing and adrenaline pumping like nothing else could. The blue eyed boy couldn't help but grin once he saw that his prey unknowingly entered his line of sight. Steadying his bow and arrow he waited patiently for the chance to strike down the pirate scum that dared to terrorize Windfall even while a rank "A" pirate hunter resided there. This guy wasn't worth much and Link pinned the small price on either his incredibly bold behavior or his equally incredible stupidity. Whichever was the case, Link vowed to make him regret it. Once the pirate stopped to take a breath Link wasted no time in finishing the little game of cat and mouse. He fired the arrow with killer intent and the man was down, bleeding heavily from a fatal blow to the heart.

"You all are the same…," the young man mumbled, "Couldn't you at least have made it a little exciting?" The irony of it was that Link was excited. He loved ending the terrors of any and all pirates the same, no matter how easy a prey they were. Putting his equipment away, he soaked in his moment of glory as townspeople began yelling his name and shouting out, "You're a true hero Link!" He waved and smiled a little. He didn't know if he could really except such a title because to him heroes were people in a time gone passed that vanquished monsters, saved princesses, and sometimes had their names carved into history for their deeds. Link didn't do any of that, nor did he care to. He was only interested in… revenge.

Elsewhere…

The pirates that Link hunted mercilessly had replaced threats of monsters in New Hyrule. Pirates were so much of a problem that Link's profession was the ideal job that only a select few were capable of. But enough about the hunters lets talk more about the hunted. What made a pirate in New Hyrule that was plentiful in riches from the Great Sea and home to an ancient magic? It'd have to be the lack of law enforcement and the islands' poor economies. Children's parents were dying from poor living conditions and leaving the children to grow up learning to embrace any means of survival necessary.

As can be imagined, Tetra, who had ran away from her home, was no exception to the harsh living conditions of most that weren't located on the rich island, Windfall. The poor monarchy was located there and rarely cared for the people who didn't live there. It was sad. But Tetra described it as exciting.

"**Now** what do you have to say about women not being able to fend for themselves?" the blonde pirate girl asked as she tightened her grip around the neck of her opponent. Dozens of men had gathered around and were watching the battle in an uncouthly excitement. Her opponent, a rather beefy man with tons of facial hair, winced in pain and tried to breath. Tetra smiled a little. This guy actually had the gull to suggest that she wasn't worthy enough to be in such a dubious place? If anything, she very much wanted this spanking to not only clear his head but to also show him exactly who it was he was dealing with.

"What was that? I didn't hear you…," Tetra whispered into his ear. He squirmed a little in a failed attempt to escape her unwomanly grip around his neck.

"…Okay! You win! Whatever! Just… air…," he replied hoarsely. Satisfied with the answer, Tetra let him go but wasn't finished. She slammed his head against the edge of his table and his busted nose was gushing blood. The other men laughed and cheered to show their thankfulness for the show. Tetra was pulled away abruptly from the masculine frenzy and slammed up against a wall. Her head spun a little but that wasn't enough to quench her short temper. She was about to give her attacker a piece of her mind but decided against it once she saw who it was.

"Aryll? What is the meanin' of this?" she asked. The other girl only smiled and shook a finger in Tetra's face in a chastising manner.

"Already lookin' for trouble Tet? Have you forgotten why we're even here? Strictly. Business," the young brown eyed girl said slowly. Tetra sighed a little. Leave it to Aryll to crash a party. After all the commotion calmed down, the two females casually seated themselves at the bar and looked around the room for their "person of business". Tetra was already bored stiff after a few minutes and began to whine like an irritated child. Aryll touched her arm a little, which was a silent plea for her fellow pirate not to go flying off a handle because they both knew what Tetra was capable of when she was crazy for a good time. The fight earlier had been a small display. Maybe it was her reckless behavior that got her marked as a highly wanted pirate that made her the target of many a pirate hunter. She rather liked the attention and welcomed any man who'd dare challenge her. Aryll was more subtle and actually preferred not to go looking for trouble, but if trouble ever found her ya best believe she handled it.

The pub was a smelly place and filled with stinky sailors and foul pirates. There was obnoxious talking, smoking, drinking, and various other things that can't be fully explained due to this story's rating! But, everything going on around Tetra irked a nerve and she was silently contemplating how she'd punish their scaly friend whenever she decided to come. Tetra mentally cursed Aryll for being so cool and wondered how she was occupying herself with the long wait. She wasn't long to find out.

"Hey… look Tet. This guy look familiar to you?" Tetra looked at her partner smugly, then turned her attention to the torn paper she had in her hand. On the paper was the picture of some young guy and information:

Link

Pirate Hunter

Rank A

Location: Windfall Island

Tetra silently questioned her friend's mentality. Sure the guy had a high rank but she'd never seen him before. And it's not like she made a habit of befriending pirate hunters after all.

"No. Why?" Tetra asked. Aryll was staring hard at the boy and after some time answered, "I just got the strangest case of nostalgia… that's all."

"Hm. Well, don't get to occupied otherwise ya might forget our important business," Tetra teased. Aryll wasn't oblivious to the jab but made no attempt to come back because she was still staring at the picture. Before Tetra could ask her friend about her mental state, a cloaked figure made his/her way over to the two and was soon standing before them radiating with an air of mystery.

"Tetra…," the person growled in an angry feminine voice.

"Whatcha got for me Ruto?" The Zora pulled the hood of her cloak back and revealed black fishlike eyes and blue scaly skin that shimmered in the pub's dim lighting. She held in her webbed hand a rather old looking roll of paper and shook it in Tetra's face while saying quietly, "It's a treasure chart. It's said to lead to some big treasure… My sources even say it could be…" Ruto didn't have to finish her statement because Tetra was already blind with anxiousness. She grabbed the chart from Ruto and held it close as though it was the treasure itself. Aryll looked back and forth between the two with uncertainty written on her face.

"Now, give me that which you promised," Ruto demanded. Tetra sighed and with a role of the eyes signaled Aryll to handle the rest.

"Your ship and crew are at the docks," Aryll said plainly, "and they're **safe**." Ruto, satisfied and no longer in need, left the pub swiftly. Aryll watched her and then looked at Tetra.

"She was kinda fishy today wasn't she?"

"She's always fishy mind you. Anyway, there's no need to dwell on it. We had her precious ship and crew. She'd 've given her life if that's what we wanted. Come on. I want to hurry and compare this to my mother's ol' chart…" Tetra got up and hurried from the pub with Aryll following behind. As the two girls sped over to their ship, Ruto watched with a wicked smirk. A tall figure stood behind her.

"Mission successful Ganon. I do believe that leaves you to pay me my reward…," the fish girl said slowly. The man behind her chuckled and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"The deal was that she received the chart and made it to the acquired location. Is she in the acquired location? No. Until then you're still mine." Ruto hissed dangerously and pulled away from Ganondorf's grip. He laughed again and disappeared.

_"I belong to no one… Anyway, it'll be worth it to see the end of an old foe…,"_ she thought. With a smirk and swish of her cloak she made her way to her stolen ship and crew.


	4. Chapter 3:Beauty and the Beast

Chapter 3: Beauty and the Beast

"Ooooh! Splendid! Marvelous!" a woman exclaimed while clapping her hands together excitedly.

"Yes! Just absolutely superb!" a man added.

"Looks wonderful on you!" another man suggested. The person that all the excitement was directed towards, a young woman with long flowing red hair, studied herself in a mirror as she posed with a large, ruby brooch. The comments of the sales people didn't seem to be exactly what she was looking for and she was desperate to come to a decision. Huffing a little, she turned to look at the blonde haired man that sat beside her who was currently preoccupied with a book. She distasted the book immediately like it had openly insulted her.

"What do you think darling? Should it be the ruby? Or sapphire?" she asked sweetly. Link slowly lifted his head from his book and their eyes only connected for a brief moment before he was once again giving his full attention to the book in his hands.

"Either one you think works," he replied. He tried desperately to reread the page he'd been on for the last couple of minutes, but his attention hogging fiancée wouldn't have any of it and she forcefully lowered the book until she was the only thing he saw.

"I'm asking you, Link, darling. Which do you like best?" she repeated through gritted teeth. Both of them bore into one another's eyes in a silent battle that neither wanted to lose. It was the one hundredth time that she'd interrupted his reading and Link was pissed but he'd rather give the princess what she wanted instead of keeping up the childish charade.

"Ruby… Zelda… ruby…," he told through gritted teeth. The color had only been chosen because it was a silent indication of what Link was really thinking about her, or rather what he wanted to do to her. That fact didn't stop the victorious grin that had appeared on the girl's face and she replied coolly, "Of course ruby! You're brilliant!" She kissed his cheek and returned her attention back to the sales people. Link mentally strangled her and then sighed to release the built up frustration. Zelda was a gorgeous princess to say the least and Link knew she looked good in anything she wore. But despite her beauty, Zelda was a mildly shallow person that loved to tease people by putting them on the spot. She openly dared them to say anything bad about her because she knew no one ever would or else they'd be dealing with the corrupt ruler of New Hyrule, King Daphnes. The thought in itself was scary enough so basically, Zelda always got what she wanted. A-L-W-A-Y-S…

"I'm going for a stroll. I'll be back," Link said. Zelda waved him off as she purchased the sapphire brooch. Link grinned a little to himself. In the end, Zelda took no one's opinions but her own because she knew that it wasn't opinions that made you beautiful, it was the "looks".

Windfall island was said to be the most peaceful place in New Hyrule, and Link could see why as he casually strolled through the crowded market. Children were playing outside, adults could stand around and gossip, and there wasn't any threat of danger mostly because Link dealt with it. Countless people warmly greeted Link and he returned each gesture with an equally warm one of his own. He couldn't expect less from the place where nobles, business men, and even the monarchy resided, but he knew how other islands had been fairing. He'd seen the chaos and anarchy that was taking place and could hardly believe how well these people seemed to get a long with ease as such things were going on around them.

The young man found a seat near the beach and sat there, inhaling that salty sea breeze. It hadn't been too long ago when he himself had been amongst the ones suffering at the King's expense. Before the King had found the boy, he was living alone on the destroyed island of Outset. Pirates had raided and taken everything he loved which included his grandma and little sister. They'd left only him alive and he grimaced while thinking about the gruesome massacre. He never could understand why he was left to live, but he did know that he'd never forget the face of the man who'd taken the way of life he'd once known. Subconsciously, he made a fist and clenched it. Link vowed to avenge the lives of his family and friends even if it meant being employed by the lowest scum of them all. Truly, he did owe Daphnes his life but it didn't change the fact the fat fart was a greedy man that took care of his wants and needs before those of his people. Maybe after Link took care of the pirate problem and he and Zelda were married, he could take care of the old man as well?

Link looked out at the sea and felt something he hadn't in a while… bored. He didn't know what he was going to do to sustain the growing sensation, but knew that he sure and hell wasn't going back to Zelda. He refused to give her the satisfaction. He wasn't about to start reading his book again either because he knew as soon as he started that he'd be interrupted again. He wracked his mind for something to do. Anything at all! Then, on the horizon, a ship with blue sails was steadily approaching the island. Link grinned. Pirates! Just the distraction he needed…

Meanwhile…

"… I've been working way too hard," Tetra mumbled. She stood from her hunched position and stretched to get rid of the craving for sleep that had been beckoning her for hours now. The dim lighting in her quarters hadn't been helping any and Tetra decided it was time for fresh air. She looked at the treasure charts on her bed one more time before leaving to go above deck where her crew of misfits was. Each girl was doing something different and much to Tetra's irritation didn't include the jobs that were assigned to them.

"Hey! Cap'n," a fiery red head greeted. She was Nabooru, the crew's treasurer. She also handled any other business that Tetra wanted her to, but at the present moment, she wasn't doing anything but laying in the sun deepening the color of her already tanned body.

"Why aren't you out collecting booty?" Tetra demanded. Nabooru shrugged a little and continued her sun bathing. To make things worse, Malon wasn't steering the ship and instead was looking out at the sea with solemn eyes. She was unmistakably daydreaming of a knight coming to save her from her cursed existence as a pirate underling. Tetra had to envy her imagination despite her lazy disposition.

"Wow. Lookit!" the pirate captain heard a shrill voice shriek. Much to her displeasure, Medli, the lookout, was busy looking at the different types of fish that had began to splash up from the sea's murky depths. Tetra couldn't believe this is all she had to show for the fiercest pirate crew that ever sailed the Great Sea. Talk about a broken ego.

"Oh… Hey cap'n. I think I finally matched the coordinates of the maps to somewhere," a sweet voice explained. Tetra looked down at the young green haired girl that had approached her with a nervous smile on her face. If there was anyone she could count on it was Saria. Originally it would have been Aryll, but she too had been off in her own little world seemingly smitten with that pirate hunter.

"Didja now?" Tetra asked, and the little girl nodded her head.

"Yes cap'n. Apperantly, it's on Windfall Island," Saria said, "And the most likely of places to check is King Daphnes' castle since the Triforce is so closely tied to the Hyrule Royal Family." Tetra's good mood quickly disappeared and her heart dropped down to her stomach. The news hadn't been what she was expecting. She thought that the coordinates would be in some desolate location that required them to dive underneath the surface of the sea to get to. The bright eyed girl didn't really understand why she thought that, but desperately wished that it had been so.

"Cap'n?" Saria inquired with concern evident in her voice. Tetra snapped out of her shock and shook Saria by the shoulders.

"Are you sure? Are you completely certain…," she asked. She knew she couldn't doubt Saria's mapping skills which were why she was even in the crew to begin with. Saria never led them wrong and yet somehow Tetra wished that this time would be different.

"Yes," the younger one said. Tetra loosened her hold on the child and sighed heavily.

"Great… Just peachy… This is gonna be a big problem…"

"Hullo cap'n, you don't plan on letting this opportunity pass by right? It is the first big lead we've had on the whereabouts of the Triforce in a long while after all." Tetra looked at her crew mate angrily.

"No! Of course not! If this is what it's gonna take then I'm all for it! Now we just hafta figure out a way to check the castle without so much trouble…"

"Oh, that's no problem. I mean. We can use Link the Pirate Hunter's wedding as a diversion! Since lots of family and friends will be attending, let's use that as our chance!" Tetra grinned. If she had to pick one member of her crew to die with, it'd be Saria without doubt. She also knew who to give the bigger piece of loot once they had finally gotten their greedy paws on the golden relic from legends passed. Absentmindedly, Tetra touched the necklace around her neck that was tied to a silver triangle. Just thinking about the Triforce gave her a new determination. She couldn't remember exactly what it was that made finding the Triforce irresistible to her, but she knew that it was in connection with the necklace and her mother's map. The only two items she salvaged from her previous life that seemed like a blur in the dark depths of her mind… The chill on her spine, even during the hot summer weather had also been some kind of indication and made her want to find the triangle even more.

Back at Windfall…

Link hovered menacingly over a fish faced pirate with a look of disgust. She'd had the nerve to approach him without a moment's hesitation and even addressed him like they were old buddies. Link guessed it was from the confidence she had in some valuable information she possessed and Link willingly listened to. Apperantly, Tetra the female pirate fiend was going to be making a stop at the island. How the Zora came across such knowledge Link didn't know, and didn't care. As far as he was concerned, he just killed two birds with one stone. Why capture one and let the other go, even if that person had some good news. As Link tied her up, some of his men arrested her crew and took her ship.

"Pirates," he spat.

Author's Note: Finally! I thought this chapter would NEVER get finished. Anyway, good news, Tetra and Link are FINALLY going to meet! But will it be as friends or most likely predator and prey. As always, read and review! Please? I need feedback from those of you who are reading this fic! I'm looking for 8 reviews before I post Chapter 5. It can be constructive criticism, I like a challenge. Compliments are welcomed as well because everyone loves an ego booster! No flames because, if you don't like the story don't read. Thank you all!


	5. Chapter 4: Predator and Prey

Chapter 4: Predator and Prey

"Link are you sure? Are you positive that the pirate menace, Tetra, will be coming here?" the king asked. The question was actually harder to answer then Link would have liked it to be. The information about Tetra's coming to the island had been brought by no other then one of her fellow sea loiterers after all. Link had believed it without a second thought because it seemed so authentic, and the messenger hadn't appeared to be lying despite her reputation. For now, the proper precautions should be taken even if it was a lie. Link didn't want to take any risks with this one.

He had heard about what Tetra had done and the things that she was capable of. Once, a few years prior, she'd attacked and robbed a merchant ship docking at Great Fish Isle. She left nothing and the merchant, along with his crew, were found tied to a palm tree, in the nude. It was monsoon season and one was coming right for them. Luckily, a rescue team came before it was too late. Before that though, Tetra was made famous for her feat against the Ambassador from Holodrum. He was coming to make tribute to King Daphnes for using a Hyrulean choke point without consent. Tetra had managed to capture him and his crew, while stealing all 300,000,000 rupees that were meant for Hyrule. Luckily, Daphnes wasn't blamed for Tetra's antics and war was avoided, but Holodrum refused to repay Daphnes, and instead Daphnes had to pay them all 300,000,000 rupees along with 600,000,000 rupees in interest. Hyrule's economy suffered greatly and the infamous Tetra was hated widely by the residents of Windfall. They never did find out what Tetra had done with all that money either…

Those had been two of her larger crimes. She had countless misdemeanors and thousands of federal transgressions. Many Pirate Hunters tried their luck in attempts to capture her, but all failed because Link heard the girl was a mad powerhouse and a talented seductress. He was bemused to no end when it came to this pirate, but found that even if he wanted to have a try at her, she was harder to find then a needle in sand. The thought that she was actually coming to his island made the boy ecstatic and he wanted her welcoming to be well articulated and ruthless. He'd capture her if no one else would.

Looking at his soon-to-be-father-in-law, Link said, "Yes. I'll need a lot of men, and I want all civilians someplace safe… oh, you and Zelda too of course." The King didn't have to be told twice. He and Zelda were taken to some secret grove in the back of the island and residents were hidden there as well. Link had a battalion of men at his disposure, courtesy of the gracious King, and didn't waste any of them He formulated a plan that seemed to have little to no flaws at all.

Meanwhile…

Nervous. Anxious. Unsure. Skeptic. Doubtful. The list of emotions the pirate was experiencing at the moment was endless. Tetra's heart was pumping at such a velocity that she could have sworn it was about to pump itself right out of her chest. She began to shake involuntarily as the surrealism of what she was about to do became real when the island appeared in the distance. She wasn't sure what the source of her anxiety attack was, but she knew that she didn't want to go back to that place. It wasn't like she was deprived of all other options, but something was pulling her back to the island that she hated with all her heart and being. It was intangible, this something, and Tetra couldn't understand it at all. She couldn't fight it either.

She looked at her crew and found that none of them were as nervous as she was. They were getting ready for what seemed like the biggest battle of their lives and had no time for such silly emotions. The blond haired, blue eyed beauty, mentally cursed at herself for being the way she was about the whole thing and silently envied her crew's nonchalance. But, she found comfort in knowing that her partner for this mission was slightly more nervous than she herself was, even if she did a better job at hiding it.

Aryll was a nervous wreck because she was too excited to be seeing her pirate hunter at last. It had been an opportunity that she wouldn't pass up despite Tetra's disapproval. Tetra believed that she would sabotage the mission with her little school girl crush, and the young girl smiled brightly, assuring that she wouldn't. As the pirate captain looked at her now, perspiring mercilessly, she began to once again doubt Aryll's interior stability. But who else had produced as much vigor to be helping Tetra find the Triforce? Her crew still doubted its existence. Aryll was the only one she wanted along side her because she never doubted Tetra. Tetra had become like her older sister that she loved. With such emotions driving her, no one else could produce results as good as she could, and Tetra hoped, still would.

They both sat in the spare boat looking at the island, each thinking her own thoughts and experiencing her own doubt.

"We'll get it for sure… Tet," Aryll said slowly. She smiled and Tetra regarded her for a minute before nodding her agreement, and looking to her crew, she shouted, "No matter what, follow through with the plan!"

"Aye cap'n!" Tetra's ship began firing, and purposefully missing her small boat, a sign that the plan was being put into action. Unbeknownst to the pirates, Windfall had prepared a cannon and had began a counter attack. A flying cannon ball sailed through the air and hit the side of Tetra's ship.

"What the hell? They're already firing at us?" she exclaimed. A whole barrage of cannon balls were fired from the island to the pirate ship and Tetra's crew had begun retaliation while also managing to fire at her and Aryll. Anyone else would have taken this turn of events as an ominous sign, and turned tail, but Tetra was determined to get to that island in one piece. She and Aryll used the oars to their full potential and rowed against the harsh waves that began forming from cannon balls hitting the water around them.

Tetra had underestimated the island's defenses, it seemed, and so she hadn't expected the cannonball showdown. She planned on making it seem as though her and Aryll were duchesses that had the misfortunate run in with Tetra's pirate crew. In other words, a hostage situation. She knew that someone would be coming to rescue them and that would be their chance to get on the island without suspicion and a chance for crew to get away safely. She had no idea that they'd be so quick to react. At the rate balls were exploding and tearing stuff up, she feared no one could see her and Aryll and they'd just become victims of crossfire. Luckily however, someone had seen her.

Back at the firing range, Link spied through his telescope, a small boat carrying two very distressed nobles. They were rowing furiously in an attempt to get to land, but the waves had been picking up from all the action going on. What was worse, the pirates were firing at them. Link sighed irritable.

"A hostage situation," he mumbled. He hadn't worked that into his battle plan. As he observed a little closer, he noticed that the pirates, despite taking heavy damage, weren't pulling back. Instead they kept after the small boat. Link had to wonder who could be worth all the trouble.

"You gonna take care of those pirate fiends Link," someone questioned. Link spun around to see a group of young boys looking up at him admiringly. The shock the pirate hunter was experiencing from seeing them was very great; it took a moment to sink in.

"Can the Killer Bees assist you?" a different one asked. They all looked hopefully up at Link and he looked down at them with indifference. Unexpectedly, a bomb cannonball came whirling through the air, exploding right above their heads.

"Yea! You can help by going back to the safe ground where you're supposed to be! Hurry up and go! You're in the way here!" He pushed the boys away forcefully, and returned to his station ordering his men around. The Killer Bees watched from a distance, looking downtrodden from being so easily rejected by their hero. Ivan, the leader of the troublemakers, overheard Link talking about a way to safely rescue the hostages that had been caught up in the fierce battle. The little boy grinned when an idea filled his head that showed him visions of greatness and Link's respect.

"No. No! Hey Bees! Doncha be disappointed just yet! I think I got an idea!" he exclaimed. All his fellows looked at him expectantly.

"How you gonna **think** you got an idea?" Jin, the second in command, asked after a few minutes. He was known for his quick witted insults, but could sometimes overanalyze things. Despite the somewhat irritable habit, everyone laughed, except Ivan, who blushed with embarrassment.

"Ah shaddup! Anyway, follow me if you want to be a hero!" The four boys then rushed towards the beach, where sailors left their boats unoccupied, and laughed as they took one such boat and rowed towards the fast approaching pirates, as well as the even faster approaching hostages.

It was decided that Link, being the excellent swimmer he was, would go to rescue the two females, along with two other noticeably talented men, Kamo and Anton. They wasted no time in finding a boat ready to perform the mission, but were dumbfound when they discovered boats missing. Looking out toward the raging sea, they saw why. Ivan and the rest of his gang had taken the boats to go, what it seemed like to Link anyway, rescue the distressing damsels themselves.

"Dammit!" Link cursed, "Now we have to save them too! Look, I'll go swim over there. You guys get a boat ready, and signal for the others to cover me!" Before either one could protest, Link had stripped off his expensive boats, and even more expensive robes, and was in the freezing water swimming furiously towards the boys.

"Look! Link's coming!" Jan, the pretty boy of the group exclaimed merrily. Ivan couldn't be bothered with looking because he was too occupied with maneuvering through exploding cannonballs and giant waves. The hostages' own boat, by now, was in range.

"Quick! Jump in! We've got you covered!" Aryll and Tetra were bewildered by the boys' bravery, and looked on in stupefied curiosity.

"If you don't come on now then the pirates will get you!" Ivan said again. Without warning, Jan and Jin had taken a hold of the two girls, and forcefully sat them in the recently stolen rescue boat. As he attempted to stir away, a cannon ball flew into one of the pirate's cannons, changing its trajectory until it was directly pointed towards the oblivious rescue team and damsels. It fired in a loud explosion of burning gunpowder that released an iron orb at the small boat. The children's and passenger's fates had been sealed with a giant splash of water and the small boat's utter destruction.

Link watched it all, horror stricken. His body shook when he witnessed the Killer Bees being swept away by the wave that had folded over them, swallowing them into the sea's dark depths. The hostages had been pushed aside by the rushing water and struggled to stay adrift. Link didn't worry about the two women since they were still visible. He looked for signs of the little boys.

"Link!" Anton called. He and Kamo had retrieved a boat and appeared amongst the distressed as a shining light of hope. Link took control over his raging emotions and pointed towards Aryll and Tetra, who were still struggling in the water.

"Save them! Get them outta the water!" he ordered. The two didn't argue and were pulling Tetra and her accomplice into their boat. The two girls were shaking and panting from their fatal encounter. Not too soon after they had bee saved from a despairing fate, three heads resurfaced and appeared near the boat. Anton and Kamo hauled the three boys into their boat as well, draping them with thick blankets.

"Where's Ivan?" Link demanded. He was still in the water, looking around furiously.

"I think… he's still under…" Jan managed to say through chattering teeth. Link's heart dropped.

"I'll save him!" Before anyone could do anything, Tetra dived into the water and was under in no time, searching for the boy.

"Link! She's still in shock! She shouldn't be in the water!" Kamo told. Link was way ahead of him, and, taking a deep breath, went after the blonde.

The sea was a lot darker under the surface, and Link found it hard to find the slightest glimpse of the two. Once his eyes adjusted to the lack of light, he could see Tetra's form expertly treading through the water. It appeared that she had spotted something and was hastily traveling towards it. Link turned his head a little and saw Ivan's small, limp, body floating towards the surface. Link was once again anxious and fearful for the little boy's safety. He began swimming towards him and met Tetra halfway. They both grabbed a hold of him and Tetra put an ear to his chest. Link waited patiently for her to give him the news and was dismayed when she shook her head solemnly. She pointed towards the surface nonetheless, and together they carried Ivan to the anxiously awaiting crew.

Anton wasted no time in helping the two into the boat, and Kamo started towards the shore in a similar fashion. The Killer Bees were in hysterical shock at seeing Ivan's lifeless body and began making all kinds of sounds. Anton and Aryll tried to calm them while Tetra and Link performed CPR. Tetra breathed into the boy's mouth and Link pumped his chest furiously. During the whole procedure, Link noticed that Tetra was possibly as restless as himself if not more. He found that her antics to revive the boy were touching him someplace deep and silently, he prayed for their success. Ivan coughed and brought in a large shaky breath as an answer to Link's prayers when their boat had hit the shores of the beach. Tetra was ecstatic and she and Link exchanged looks of relief.

"Look! They retreated!" Everyone's heads turned to look at the giant pirate ship in its withdrawal. Link's eye brows furrowed into a displeased looking frown after witnessing the pirate's actions.

"No! They aren't supposed to get away!" he shouted. He was up and about to signal his men to fire but Tetra grabbed his arm with the hopes of distracting him from the retiring pirate ship. They looked at one another and something within the both of them ignited. Sparks of electrical impulses jolted through their arms and forced them to pull away. Everyone else watched the exchange with interest.

"Help us first. There'll be other times…," Tetra said softly. Link regarded her for a moment before deciding not to head her opinion. He angrily turned away from her and raised his arm, which signaled his men to ready themselves.

"If it weren't for you and those meddling kids, we wouldn't have to result to such extreme methods of capture," the young man spat. Tetra's own anger flared and she stood up, getting into Link's face. They both stared at each other in the heated exchange of a silent battle. The pirate hunter's battalion patiently waited for his command, while the rescue party watched the two in confusion.

Tetra's vision began to blur slightly, and Link's firm standing figure swayed. Soon, all the images of the people around her as well as Link, merged together into a dizzy display and Tetra felt light headed. As her consciousness spun around into darkness, she felt a pair of strong arms catch her falling body. Her breathing sped up and she had a burning sensation in her right leg. The heat was steadily coursing through her body until she felt hot all over. She heard a voice say, "Hold on!" before she had completely fallen victim to the dark oblivion that had beckoned her mercilessly.

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Author's Note: For all the nice people who have reviewed my fic, this is a thank-you for you! A nice long chapter that I hope atones for the long wait and I also bring some hopefully comforting news. This story has received nearly 300 Hits, of which approximately around half of those Hits belong to the people who have read chapters 1-3. So do not be dismayed because people are reading just not reviewing! Faster updates for more reviews. Tell somebody because I'm looking at 10 reviews before I post chapter 5. Thank-you! 


	6. Chapter 5:Dreams and Nightmares

Chapter 5: Dreams and Nightmares

As Nabooru studied the damage, she couldn't suppress her deepening despair. The ship had practically been mauled, reduced to a sailing wooden frame. The glorious _AmaRa _was now everything less than that and it was hurting Nabooru deeply. It was the ship that had brought the crew together in the first place and gave her a more suitable lifestyle.

Nabooru was an orphan, like so many others that lived in the world in that day, and was the servant girl of a bourgeois family that owned their own private oasis. She hated the family with a passion because they seemed to belittle her despite her desperate efforts to please them. She had begged on her hands and knees for freedom but all she ever got was, "What? Go free? And what would you be free to do exactly, Nabooru? It's a cruel world out there, no place for an ignorant child like you. Besides, haven't we provided for you? Haven't you been living comfortably under our roof? Really, you should be grateful to us!" Nabooru knew that they had a point, but she also couldn't be sure if the world was as bad as they made it. The family, a father, his wife, and two sons, were very secluded people to begin with. Before they had officially moved away from Windfall, Nabooru remembered the liveliness of the market place because it was filled with hundreds of different people who didn't seem threatening in the least. Maybe her curiosity was what made her ignorant, but she'd be damned if she didn't find out for herself.

One night, Nabooru snuck out of her sleeping quarters and left the cabana. She let the blackness of night provide a protective veil which shielded her from the watchful eyes of other hired hands. She began to set sail on the family's giant ship using her expertise in the craft.. She watched the island disappear into a small speck and could feel her tensed muscles loosen as she exhaled the breath she'd been holding.

"I know that you weren't really planning on stealing this big ol' boat without someone to help you with it." Nabooru spun around so fast that she became victim of whiplash. Her debilitated nerves finally took their toll on her body and her weary legs gave way under her sudden heaviness. She fell on her rear, shaking involuntarily.

"P…p…puh..lease…," she mumbled incoherently. The person who'd spoken earlier finally revealed herself as a girl around the same age as the run away. She was smiling none to sweetly but more with ambition and her golden tresses were being carried gently with the wind. If it had been better lighting, and Tetra hadn't been smiling like some loony, maybe Nabooru wouldn't have been as scared as she was.

"Are you a p…p…p…p…p… pirate? Don't hurt me!" Tetra seemed to take into account what the girl was saying before she laughed herself to tears. Nabooru could only gawk stupidly at the other girl. Had she said something stupid? She had heard that pirates were dangerous people that were nothing but trouble. When it came to dangers of the world, Nabooru knew all about them, courtesy of the paranoid family.

"What? What the hell's so funny," Nabooru asked. She had steadily been regaining her cool and now found that irritation was replacing any anxiety she'd been experiencing. Tetra took a moment to wipe the tears from her eyes away as she caught her breath and waved her free hand a little.

"Whoo! Nothing really, just… you think that **I'm** the pirate and you stole the boat! It's ironic isn't it? If anyone here is pirate material it's **you**!" Nabooru processed this for a minute. Maybe it was true, but she'd never killed anyone nor had a bounty on her head for some serious offense, well, not yet anyway. She doubted her former masters not noticing the missing girl or ship.

"I guess, but pirates are ignorant law offenders that survive at the expense of others, I merely gave myself an opportunity and ran away from home using a sensible means of transportation," the girl explained smugly. Tetra giggled a little more.

"So what? Omit all those fancy words and basically you get, 'I betrayed my owners and stole their boat.' And how dare you say that about pirates! By that definition, you're definitely a pirate yourself! I mean, being a slave you aren't educated, so you're ignorant, you've stolen something which is a violation of the law, and you only lived comfortably because that man and woman let you, in other words, at the expense of others." The former slave didn't feel her lower jaw drop but Tetra saw it and started laughing again.

The girl was witty. Very witty and Nabooru liked it a lot. She supposed she found it so favorable (even though it was used to show her up) because it was exhilarating and no one had ever spoken to her like that. She started laughing too. Both girls were in hysterics for a few more minutes before Tetra said, "Okay! Enough! I have to come clean. I'm a pirate. I am and I was coming to steal this ship because my boat got destroyed. There you have it friend."

"Wow… you're real blunt," the Gerudo stated plaintively. Tetra shrugged.

"Anyway, I don't have a crew yet. Just Aryll," as she said this, Nabooru finally noticed the small girl that was stooping in the shadows of the mast, "How about it? You wanna join? I promise you'll get to see a lot of new places and no one will ever own you again. Oh, I'ma teach ya a little too because you obviously haven't gotten out much." Nabooru only grinned a little and nodded her head. They clasped hands in a friendly agreement that became the start of a deep loyalty Nabooru vowed never to betray.

As such memories came flooding back into her mind, the pain of the ship being gone only increased and she sat in the sand with tears brimming in her golden eyes. Hopefully Tetra wouldn't be too angry. The saddened girl silently prayed that she was okay and that Saria and Malon were successful in stealing a replacement ship, though she knew that the _AmaRa_ wouldn't ever be replaced in her heart. It was the first thing she'd ever owned and had gotten herself. Nothing could replace that.

Somewhere else…

Aryll watched Tetra sleep and wondered what she was dreaming about. Pondering about such a thing was the only way she found entertainment at the present because it allowed her to use her imagination, an unlimited resource. The brown eyed girl supposed that the dream probably had something to do with the Triforce, or maybe she was confronting Nabooru about how their ship had gotten destroyed. The possibilities were endless and Aryll knew she could think about it all day long, but it wouldn't be helping in the least. While Tetra was unconscious due to the powerful venom of an octorok, (who got her during her attempt to rescue Ivan) Aryll was supposed to be finding the Triforce or at least its whereabouts. Sighing a little, the girl left Tetra's side and the fancy room, one of the many that the castle possessed. She didn't see Link in front of her and bumped into him.

"Ah s…sorry…," she said as the blood rushed to her cheeks. The pirate hunter scrutinized the girl meanly but said nothing and continued on his way. Aryll's crazy emotions fueled her heart until it was pumping blood at a radical rate while she watched him walk away. She didn't know how to describe the feelings and couldn't understand how she could be feeling as passionately as she was since he was a pirate hunter, and not just any pirate hunter, the one that nearly done Tetra's crew in. That was something that deserved spite in the greatest maliciousness she could muster and yet, she couldn't. She couldn't and she doubted she would even if he'd pulled it off. She hit her forehead in a failed attempt to erase such thoughts from her mind. Her focus was the Triforce.

They had been lucky. As soon as Tetra fainted, Link had rushed her back to the castle seeking the medical attention of Zelda's nurse maid, Impa, a mysterious woman who was the last survivor of her race. She was kind and began to drain Tetra's blood with no hesitation. When she made sure the young pirate was out of the danger zone, they let her rest in the guest suite and welcomed Aryll with opened arms. Well Impa had. Link had been anything but friendly because the pirates had gotten away and he'd wasted a lot of manpower. The king was furious even though his fat ass had been saved from the pirates' wrath, and Link had been berated like no one should. Aryll only knew so because his fiancée told Mila, Maggie, and Linda over tea. Aryll had been invited as well to "calm her strained nerves". She already hated the monarchy and hadn't been there but a day now.

She silently cursed herself as she let her thoughts wander and once again focused on her objective. Quietly, inconspicuously, she entered a room and closed the door behind her. In the room were mountains of reading material, old and new. She huffed a little and loosened her corset. She pulled off her petty coats and relaxed. She found that being a duchess was far more work then she'd originally thought and that alone was incentive enough to hurry and find the golden relic. Starting at a pile of rather dusty and yellowed books, she began looking for something about the Hyrule Royal Family and the Triforce.

The girl was justifiably the most beautiful female that Link had ever laid eyes on. She possessed a brilliant natural attractiveness that made Link wonder if she was human or an angel on earth. As she slept, he unwillingly kept looking at her, soaking up all that radiant comeliness she had. Every now and then she looked at him as she drifted in and out of consciousness and Link tried to memorize the ingenious blue that her eyes were. He growled a little in frustration because no one had ever done this to him, and he frankly wasn't in the mood to deal with any such bull crap. He knew he was utterly pissed at the girl who slept soundly before him, but that didn't change him from being a man, and as a man he was entitled to like what he saw. And he did. He liked it a lot. Turning away, he tried desperately not to succumb to such feeble thoughts. Besides, he knew actually who he was looking so lustfully at.

The girl that had risked her life trying to save Ivan was also unmistakably the same girl that had risked her life showing herself in his presence. He knew it was her after she tried to distract him from the retreating pirates. It wasn't hard to put two and two together. Why else had they been following the two "hostages" without turning around from receiving so much damage? Any pirate as good as her wouldn't have come to enemy territory like that without some kind of plan. He had to applaud her success in fooling everyone with her helpless damsel act, but Link knew better. She was Tetra.

Looking at her again, he saw how she brought even the most skilled pirate hunters to their knees in defeat. He grinned a little. He could easily take her prisoner now, but thought better of it. He wasn't done having fun with her just yet. Leaning close to her ear, so close that his lips were slightly brushing against her lobe, he whispered, "You're mine now… When you wake- up… You're life is going to be turned into a living hell…" Tetra mumbled a little and turned her head in his direction. Much to Link's surprise, the sudden movement made her lips touch his and they were locked together in a loose kiss that sent sparks shooting through the boy's body. He pulled away abruptly and saw a small smile on Tetra's face.

Before he stormed out of the room, his boot stepped on something that made a crunching noise. Lifting his foot slowly, he saw a chain that was tied to a silver triangle. He picked it up and studied it closer. Something as plain as this couldn't have belonged to Zelda because her tastes were complicatedly exquisite. When he thought about it a little more, he turned to the sleeping girl and grinned again. Pocketing the necklace, he left the room without looking back. Tetra twitched a little and began to perspire.

"What do you want? Who are you? Stop… stop…," she cried in her sleeping state. Her nightmare consisted of a dark figure holding a familiar limp body that made Tetra's stomach drop.

"Momma! Momma!" she shouted. Her mother looked at her with blood dripping from her mouth. More was oozing from the opened wound in her chest and Tetra tried her best not to throw up at the sight.

"Only you … can protect… it now…," she breathed.

"Momma!" Tetra cried, this time her voice shook and her heart began to feel heavy. Her mother offered a small smile, bland and hopeful before the man finished her off by snapping her neck with ease. Tetra watched as he dropped her mother's body to floor and her mother crumpled into a bloody, lifeless heap. Even though her heart ached and her sadness was great, she couldn't cry. She looked into the blood red eyes of her mother's murderer and simply glared at them angrily. The man laughed deep, monotonous, menacing chuckles that erupted from deep within his gut. Tetra would never forget the sick look of pleasure the man had gotten from slaying her mother with inhumane antics. The laugh he laughed only turned Tetra's stomach and she tried desperately to forget each hackle of devilish delight.

"I think… it's your turn now little princess…" He reached his hand out to the girl. It was still stained with her mother's recently spilled blood, and though she was afraid, her body went rigid with fear preventing her from escaping. His crimson hand only got closer and closer until she was overcome by darkness…

Tetra's eyes shot open as she awoke in a cold sweat. Her breaths were sharp and short. Sweat trickled down her face and back. Tears came into her eyes but she refused to let them fall. Instead, she sought comfort in the only way she knew how: her necklace. As she reached for it, her hand only brushed up against bare flesh and she felt panic overwhelm her. She threw the blankets off of her and looked around frantically, but to no avail. Her right leg sent harsh pains through her whole body and she laid back down noticing for the first time that it wasn't her regular bed or her regular room.

"Where is this…?" she mumbled. She didn't try to think about it though and closed her eyes. "Where's my necklace…?" Slumber came swiftly and took her back into the land of dreams, and instead of gruesome nightmares from memories locked away in her head, she dreamt of beating the hell outta Nabooru for letting her ship get wrecked.

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Author's Note: Thank you all reviewers! I really love the feedback I'm getting so I've posted chapter 5! Thank my beta Mistress Mira for her help in making it almost spotless! I hope you all enjoyed it and look forward to chapter 6! I'll be in Houston Texasso I dunno when it will be up... I hope to have it up before I leave though! >. ' 


	7. Chapter 6:New Meetings and Old Reunions

Chapter 6: New Meetings and Old Reunions

It was a sweet aroma that wasn't unfamiliar to the girl, but she had the hardest time trying to place it. Opening her eyes a little, she found the source was in a bowl that sat on a nightstand and was filled with a pasty soup of some kind. Her stomach erupted into hungry rumbles and she reached out for it.

"Oh no dear! Don't you move, I'll get it for you," a sweet voice stated. Tetra sighed in defeat and allowed the woman to place the hot bowl in her lap. The heat alone rejuvenated the girl's energy and she had no problem consuming it greedily.

"My, my. You are a hungry child aren't you? Well, there's plenty more where that came from…," the woman told. Tetra took a pause in eating her meal to look at the nice lady that had helped her. She was surprised to see that the woman was a muscular person with a curvy build that looked younger than Tetra originally pictured as the owner of the voice. Swallowing the last of her soup, the bedridden female said softly, "Thanks…" The woman nodded and took the empty bowl, and refilled it with soup. She gave it back to the girl and said to her, "Eat more. You need to regain your strength." Tetra didn't argue and started work on her second helping. The young lady watched her for a few minutes before she sat on the bed's edge and sighed tiredly. After the pirate witnessed that display, she looked around the rather fancy décor of her room and took special notice of the chair by her bedside that was occupied with a small blanket and pillow. She didn't need to be a genius to figure out the connection between the tired woman and the chair.

"… Have… have you been watching me?"

"Hm? Oh, well actually your sister Llyra and I switched off. The poor dear's been a tad bit worried and she's also been cooped up in the library since you've been out of it…,"she explained softly. A large yawn soon followed and the nurse's eyes widened as though she was shocked at herself for being oblivious to her own fatigue.

"Hm. Well. I'll go fetch your sister now… But if you need anything, don't be afraid to ask. My name is Impa and I'm Princess Zelda's nurse maid. Well, off I go then." After that was said, Impa slowly made her way out of the room and left the incapacitated Tetra mystified with her retreat.

"… Im..pa?" the girl repeated with uncertainty. The name rolled off her tongue easily and Tetra repeated it again, this time with firmness in her voice. She eyed her soup and finally realized just why the smell of it was so familiar to her. She… was home again. Before the young pirate could drown in her own peevish perspiration, an elegantly dressed female entered her room and bounded up to the unsuspecting girl with opened arms and bright smile.

"Tet! I'm so glad you're alright," she cried hugging Tetra tightly. Tetra was wind blown and it took a few minutes before she recognized the young lady that was hidden underneath the mountains of jewelry, light make-up, perfume, and the heavy skirts of her brightly colored gown.

"Aryll! What in the hell are you wearing," Tetra demanded as she abruptly pulled away from her friend's grip. Aryll looked bemused for a moment before blushing with embarrassment, "I uh… I guess I've over done it a bit huh Tetra? Sorry…" The blue eyed girl took the apology with a grain of sand and simply asked, "But **why**?" Before Aryll could answer, Tetra, in her panic, tried to get out of the bed to make a mad dash towards the door only to collapse onto the burgundy carpet with pains shooting through her right leg. The pain was truly harsh and merciless. Tetra would have broken down in tears if she wasn't completely enamored with her own fear and pushed all other worries aside. Aryll watched her with confusion and worry evident on her delicate features before she joined her comrade on the carpet.

"Tetra what's wrong with you? Has that octorok venom made you delirious or something?"

"Octorok? What the hell? Why are we here and why are you dressed like that!" The ailing female pushed Aryll aside and she in turn retreated into a big puff of fabric unable to catch herself from the forcefulness of Tetra's blow. Pushing all the petty coats and light fabric of her gown to the side, Aryll watched as Tetra limped for the door seemingly no different than a frightened puppy that was running away with its tail between its legs.

Never had she witnessed such a display from her captain before. Never had she seen Tetra give in to the slightest apprehensive feeling no matter what dangerous position she'd placed herself in. Tetra was the epitome of fearlessness and strength. She never accepted anything less than that from her comrades or herself and yet, Aryll had to admit that she had been seeing the complete opposite since their arrival at Windfall. Even though coming to the island to pursue the Triforce had been Tetra's idea in the first place, she had been a little out of it since coming partly because of getting injured and partly because of something Aryll thought her leader knew nothing about… fear.

"Tet! Tet! Calm down for a minute," Aryll demanded. She once again took a hold of her boss in an attempt to subdue her frantic emotions. Tetra didn't struggle and instead she allowed the familiar embrace of her friend while becoming a puddle of childish confusion in her arms. They stood that way for a moment as they both tried to regain their bearings.

"Tetra… you haven't gotten cold feet have you? I mean, we've been here for a day now and I've been working so hard to find some clue as to the whereabouts of the Triforce… I'll definitely find something I swear so trust me…," Aryll stated softly.

"… I trust you. I was just startled," Tetra replied, "But the sooner we find that thing the better. I can't wait to get outta this place… Anyway, sorry for wasting a day away and nearly blowing our cover…" With all that said, Tetra returned to the bed and sat there numbly. Aryll watched her for a moment before she smiled her bright smile.

"You can rest if you want. I'll be in the library looking for clues… Or would you rather I stayed with you?"

"Do whatever you want." That answer could mean so many things. It could mean: what do you think? Of course stay with me! Or it could mean exactly as it sounded and then some… Aryll struggled with her decision before finally deciding she liked the first translation a lot better. She took a seat next to Tetra and of course her lovely smile was present. She may not know exactly what it was about the island or the castle that freaked Tetra out so badly but she could try to put those feelings to rest so they could focus on the objective at hand. Besides, Tetra wasn't complaining about unwanted company. Aryll swore she saw a look of relief cross the blue eyed girl's face silently letting Aryll know that her decision to stay had been the right one.

"Come on Tetra. You need to get dressed and work that leg before the circulation never comes back."

"I suppose you're right…"

Later…

It was just another painful reminder of the many reasons why she had left Windfall in the first place. That was the monstrous fashion sense. Why did the wealthy find that they had to over indulge themselves with explicitly overrated as well as highly over-the-top clothes that never failed to scream out, "Look at me! I'm rich!"? Tetra had the hardest time looking at herself finding that the bright blue fabric of her gown was screaming out that message with no shame. The glittering jewels that littered her arms, neck, and ears weren't helping any either. At least Aryll showed her a little mercy by allowing her to keep her hair in a ponytail that cascaded down her back in long golden tresses. Of course the ponytail holder had to be just as fancy as the rest of her with its sparkling diamonds and such. As she studied herself in the mirror, she reached a gloved hand to her cheek as she noticed how her blue eye shadow and powdered cheeks added more to the illusion that she was trying to create in such a façade. Though she couldn't deny its success, she couldn't help but feel betrayed, wishing that her cover up wasn't so oblivious to all the people around her. She also wished she didn't look so much like…

"Oh, so you're awake?" Tetra turned her hand mirror slightly as she adjusted it to reveal the person who'd just spoken to her. A rather prissy looking lady around her age stood behind her and if the pirate found her costume to be screaming at her then the intruder's was yelling. She was dressed in pink, had dozens upon dozens of jewelry shimmering on her, and to top it off was wearing a long cape of some kind of animal hide. Tetra had to blink a little as she adjusted her eyes to the bright light shining off of all her gems. The girl practically glided over to the blonde, or seemed to in all that rosy fabric that concealed her legs and feet. Tetra gave the rich young lady her full attention.

"I guess so," she replied coyly.

"I must say, it is about time. How long can one sleep honestly?" the red head said, contempt oozed easily off her every word, "And now I find you in my own clothes and jewelry. Really, do people in Lybranna lack proper etiquette or what? Is this how you thank your hospitable hostess?"

"Who the hell are you anyway? The only hostess I know is Impa who said that it was perfectly alright if I borrowed these clothes," Tetra told. Her anger had reached the boiling point and she couldn't help but frown ferociously at her unwanted company.

"Really? They must lack knowledge as well as manners in Lybranna if you don't know who I am. I'm the Princess Zelda and those are my things that you've taken upon yourself to ruin by putting them on." Tetra's face changed to one of pure shock. Princess Zelda? Her heart sped up in her chest as she did a double take. The girl before her couldn't possibly the princess because she herself…! Tetra shook it off. Perhaps it was just as well. Right now she was playing the part of a duchess from Lybranna and didn't need to be worrying about a role she decided not to play years ago. Zelda smirked wickedly, liking how her news had affected her guest.

"I suppose I couldn't hold it against you since you didn't know after all. But I do expect a full apology and thank you for my graciousness."

"Tch. Fat chance. I'd much rather walk around naked than have to apologize for wearing something that is by far lower than my normally high expectations. Seriously, do people in Hyrule lack proper etiquette or what when it comes to properly hosting a guest as well as decent fashion sense?" Zelda stammered as she tried to think of a witty retort while Tetra silently praised herself with playing her part expertly. Before all hell could break loose, Aryll walked in and sensing the tension in the room joined Tetra's side.

"Your highness. You look rather flushed today are you well?" Aryll asked sweetly. The princess hissed threateningly and snapped, "I'm just fine! Get your sister out of my sight right now!"

"Yes mama." Without another exchange of catty comebacks, Aryll and Tetra were out of the room and quickly making their way to the city.

* * *

Link stared at the necklace with a phlegmatic expression that was bordering along the lines of boredom. As he watched the silver triangle dance around in circles as he twirled the chain between his thumb and forefinger, he found that his thoughts had taken an unexpected turn from mindless wandering to focusing on the owner of the necklace. As tempting as it was to day dream boyish fantasies which involved him and his pirate nemesis involved in… ahem lewd acts, he actually found himself trying to imagine her reason for coming to the island. His curiosity only grew after he found the necklace, which he'd taken as some kind of hint even if he himself didn't know exactly what it was hinting at.

Pocketing the enigmatic item, Link stared out at the ocean trying to think of a way to appease the king for using up ammunition and manpower to capture the pirate that had snuck up on land anyway. That irked a nerve and he once again found himself hating her with a passion… that was until he saw her coming towards him in a surprising array that had even him fooled into believing that she was a duchess and not a dreaded pirate for a second.

Aryll blushed and tugged Tetra's arm shyly when she saw Link making his way towards them. Her friend simply rolled her eyes and looked for something to occupy herself with.

"Hi… Link…," Aryll mumbled incoherently. The pirate hunter barely acknowledged her before saying, "Hello Llyra… I see your sister has gotten better. Maybe you should introduce us."

"O… Of course! Um… Te-I mean Arett this is the famed pirate hunter Link. He's the one marrying Princess Zelda. Link, my sister Arett."

"Pleasure to meet you," Link said, bowing with gentlemanly courtesy. Tetra barely glanced at him before giving her full attention to Aryll, "So, are you going to show me around town or not?"

"Arett! Don't be so rude!" Aryll's face turned red from her embarrassment. Her 'sister' didn't seem the least bit apologetic and gave Link a crude glare which only made the boy smirk.

"It's alright. If you're going into town I won't hold you, but may I speak to your sister alone for a few seconds Llyra. I want to say something to her that she might find embarrassing in front of you," he said. His eyes never left Tetra's and the pirate couldn't help but be a little unnerved with the frostiness that he was portraying in his blue eyes. It was a coldness that left a chill on Tetra's spine.

"Um. Sure. Will you be alright Arett?"

"Hm," was the only answer Aryll got because her friend was too preoccupied meeting Link's challenge and returned his glare. Aryll backed away and left to the exit of the castle.

"What is it?" Tetra demanded angrily, "I'm busy." The boy ignored her, or rather to spite her he took his time to casually lean up against a wall while taking peculiar interest in his nails.

"I bet you are. Listen, I really don't want to keep your so called sister waiting because I don't want her to be suspicious, but I surely hope you aren't still angry at me for trying to finish off your crew or anything. Because now that I've got you believe me, they are in no danger…yet anyway." Tetra's eyes widened slightly with surprise at what the boy was implying.

"What are you saying," she asked. Link chuckled a little and coolly pushed himself off the wall he was leaning on to tower menacingly over his prey who gulped nervously. He gently brushed the back of his hand against her cheek and whispered into her ear, "Don't play dumb. I know you're Tetra and I will be watching your every move. Be careful." He pulled back and in a fluid motion dangled her necklace in front of her face. Her eyes widened curiously and Link placed it in her awaiting palm. She stared at it before protectively holding it close to her heart. Link watched her for a little longer before he finally decided he was through and effortlessly walked by her but not before Tetra slapped him square in the back of the head with such force he stumbled on his feet and saw stars.

"Hmph! I suppose I should thank you for sparing the lives of my crew men and returning my necklace but I despise you all the more! You have no idea who you just made enemies with… I suggest you take your own advice and be careful," she hissed. Gathering her skirts in one hand, she stomped away with a limp and joined her waiting friend. Link cussed under his breath and held his head. Both of them exchanged one more glare before going on their separate ways.

Both the girls weren't used to the hustle and bustle of the market, nor the tranquility that polluted the air of the kingly island of Windfall that was present wherever one went. It made Tetra's stomach turn in a rather unfriendly manner that threatened to reintroduce the girl to Impa's soup from earlier. The rich talked, walked, and acted like they hadn't a care in the world. To her left, two ladies stood around discussing the affairs of more than several of the townspeople making Tetra wonder how on earth they lived with themselves while on her right a couple sat exchanging loving words like they were oblivious to the existence of the entire world! While Tetra's head spun from all the ignorant bliss the affluent had created for themselves, Aryll was finding it all intoxicating and she quickly loved the perceptible differences the place held from her usual stay on rather muggy islands where she had to worry for her life daily. It was a pleasant change.

"I think I'm all stretched out now…," Tetra mumbled, but went unheard as Aryll busied herself with something or other. Just when Tetra thought it couldn't get any worse four little boys came running up to her giddily.

"Oi! It's her! Miss Arett!" Jun-Roberto exclaimed happily to his other Killer Bee friends. Tetra found herself backed up into a wall as the over excited children threatened to smother her in sugary hyper activeness.

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious," Jin told. His reply earned him a few snickers from his buddies and Jun's utter embarrassment.

"Hey Miss Arett," Ivan said. Tetra looked at the little boy before her with uncertainty before saying softly, "Uh… hi…"

"Remember me? I'm the one that went off to save ya, cuz that's what I do, but due to occupational hazards, you ended up rescuing me," the boy told. There was silence for a moment as Tetra seemed to silently contemplate the information that he'd just given her. Ever since her underwater experience she found that her mind hadn't been what it used to be.

"Right! How are you anyway?" she said after finally making the connection. Ivan blushed a little and mumbled, "Peachy… and I eh…"

"Hey. We don't normally go around doin' this kinda thing so bare with," Jan explained with crossed arms. His fellows nodded their heads in agreement and Tetra waited to see exactly what it was the little gangster was talking about. After a few slow moments of high anticipation the other three boys nudged Ivan impatiently.

"On be…behalf of the Killer Bees I… I… thank ya for saving us! If there's anything we can do let us know and we'll do it for ya!" he grounded out nervously. Very suddenly the other boys began talking at the same time.

"He meant to say himself."

"Yea yea but it's not everyday beautiful duchesses go up against the fury of dreaded pirates!"

"Too bad they got away though…"

"Yea for us eh? If they were caught they'd be facing the same as that one fishy pirate Link caught not too long ago."

"Yeah!"

"Fishy," Tetra interrupted with an inquisitively arched eye brow.

"Yea yea! Ruto's her name," Jun replied.

"Ruto!" The boys jumped having been startled by Tetra's sudden interjection and exchanged questioning looks with one another. Tetra wracked her mind searching for something solid to focus on but couldn't seem to get a firm grasp on the fact that the Zora had been captured.

"Can you take me to her?" the girl finally asked when all other options seemed unreasonable. Once again the boys exchanged looks.

"It's against the rules…," Ivan started.

"Please!"

"… But we'll see what we can do. Follow us Miss Arett and make sure you look inconspicuous so as not to draw unnecessary attention," he said taking his savior by the hand and quickly maneuvering through the crowded market with his friends following close behind.

The boys guided her away from the main part of town and brought the anxious girl to a small jailhouse that sat on a hill overlooking the vast sea. Ivan pushed her through the opened door and whispered, "Be quick and don't worry, we'll keep watch."

"Thanks," the duchess replied, Ivan nodded determinedly and left the girl to survey the many cells full of the familiar faces of Ruto's crew until she spotted her friend crouched over with her head buried in her knees, sitting in a corner of a cell that she had all to herself. Many eyes followed Tetra as she made her way to Ruto's cell.

"Ruto… pst! Ruto!" Tetra exclaimed. The fishlike pirate lifted her head slowly but was utterly flabbergasted when she saw who it was.

"Tetra? Why are you dressed like that? Never mind I don't care. But blessed be! Have you come for me? Or have they caught you as well?" The Zora's voice was hoarse with defeat and Tetra also noticed her chapped skin. Her friend had been in prison for a while.

"No… No they haven't got me," Tetra started, "How'd they get you?" Everything went deathly silent as Ruto drowned in an ocean of her own guilt and refusing to give the answer at first.

"Honestly… I tried to get you caught by coming to tell that wretched pirate hunter about your coming here… I would say it was mostly payback for stealing my crew and ship but… as I was brought up in a just home I owe you the truth. Someone's out to get you Tetra. Someone other than me and the regular bunch of pirate hunters. The map I gave you was false. It was just a way to get you here where he wants you. I don't know if the Triforce is really here or not. Forgive me. I never should have been in cahoots with such a backstabbing, smooth talking…! Just please forgive me. He said he could revive our glory if we helped him succeed but of course it was a trick. He just needed a scapegoat."

"…Who is it? Who's after me?"

"… Ganondorf and his fleet of Gerudo."

* * *

A/N:Oooooooooh! The building of suspense! Sorry to leave you guys hanging like that after waiting so long for this chapter! Forgive me please for that and perhaps little grammatical mistakes I might have made. My beta hadn't gotten back with me as fast as I had liked... bless her heart and I didn't want to drag on the wait so I posted the chapter without properly going through it. I did read it though to make sure that it was good enough to put up. I hope to have chapter 7 up by the end of the weekend because Monday I start school. Sigh 


	8. Chapter 7:Emancipation and Apprehension

Chapter 7: Emancipation and Apprehension

Link angrily hovered over Tetra, arms crossed, with the slightest glint of annoyance sparkling in his cerulean eyes. Tetra met his gaze with a ferocious hatred in her own eyes that was only there because she didn't like him anyway as well as the fact that he was interrupting her search for the Triforce with this little rendezvous. Silently, she wondered why it was he wanted to see her in the first place and why it was exactly that he wanted to host the meeting in one of the towers of the castle which was getting the full blow of the sun's radiant fury. It was a scorching summer's afternoon, and with the sun high in the sky the towers were the last place anyone wanted to be found. Subconsciously, Tetra pulled at her corset's strings in an attempt to loosen it but the action didn't go unnoticed by the pirate hunter who broke his steady gaze to catch the slightest look at her breast.

"What the hell is it? Don't you know that it's frickin' hot as Hades in here?? Geez, do you want to die of heat stroke you moron?" the girl exclaimed after she caught him looking. The boy simply turned his head away from her so that her actions wouldn't catch him off guard anymore than they already were. Coolly, much too coolly for Tetra to have liked especially since the hellish heat had turned her into a sweaty slug, Link leaned against the window of the tower and looked down at the large crowd gathered outside of the small jailhouse. He seemed to have ignored her entire outburst altogether and the pirate's anger threatened to boil over. She noticed how he always had a coolheaded demeanor about him and did things with his own speed which never failed to irk a nerve in the girl. Just another thing to add to her steadily growing list of reasons she hated Link the pirate hunter.

"…I thought I'd given you fair warning. I told you to be careful," he said slowly. His voice was a handsome monotonous voice, deep with a masculinity that would have any other female swooning over it, but Tetra cringed slightly because there was the smallest hint of deadly intent oozing from his every word.

"…I guess pirates can't take a hint even if it could save their sorry asses," he finished, this time his eyes drifted away from the scene before him and he looked back at Tetra with the same cold stare he gave all his filthy enemies. Her blood ran frigid with her sudden fear but she stood her ground.

"I didn't ask you to do that. It was your own call to make," Tetra replied with a steady voice which earned her a smirk from the boy.

"You're right. That was a big mistake on my part. I gave you way too much credit especially after you saved that kid the other day." The girl gasped when he grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her close to him with great force while also wincing from the pain the action had issued.

"I don't know why you came here Tetra, and I don't care, but know that now you don't have the slightest chance of getting off of this island alive not after pulling this little charade."

"Wh…what the hell are you talking about?"

"Stop acting so stupid! I know it was you who freed Ruto and her little crew of freaks! And I know you helped them steal the King's ship to escape!" Tetra pulled away from his angry grasp and pushed him away from her.

"Really? How did you come to that conclusion?" Tetra mocked. The blonde haired boy slammed his fist against the brick wall in a display of his pent up frustrations.

"Don't test me. You mock me at your own peril wench."

"Such harsh words. Is the little boy gonna throw a temper tantrum," Tetra cooed. She tickled his chin as emphasis to her jab. Suddenly, he grabbed her wrist and had her pinned up against a wall before she even knew what he was doing.

"Stupid. You really are the most moronic pirate I've ever met. I've never known someone so eager to die…"

"Hmph. I beg to differ _little one_. Obviously I'm very intelligent otherwise you would have had the chance to stop me before I succeeded in rescuing Ruto. The reality is that you're an over hyped pirate hunter whose skills are actually far below that of even the most incompetent of pirate hunters and I'm gonna have to ask you to not take your frustrations out on me thanks. I mean, how is it you know who I am and still haven't captured me? With that said, I know you don't have the guts to kill anyone, or me at least." Link didn't even bother to reply to her bantering. Instead he laughed.

"You're so stupid! It makes me hate you all the more!" he choked out after he regained his composure. The girl shrugged.

"The feeling's neutral." With that said Link angrily twisted her arms behind her back and forced her to walk out of the tower with the discomfort of her arms threatening to be snapped from her shoulders. Tetra grumbled many obscenities under her breath. She now knew that this guy was seriously out to get her. But what was it exactly that he had against her all of a sudden? Never mind the whole Ruto thing. His new anger seemed more personal than anything pertaining to the two legged fish woman.

After Tetra had the displeasure of knowing the full harshness that the pirate hunter had stocked up within him against her in a display of aggressive physical contact, she was left locked away in her room now with the displeasure of knowing how it felt to have your life in the palms of someone else's hands. Link had guided her back to her room, telling her to stay put until he figured out what to do with her. After locking the door and taking the key with him, there wasn't much of anything else the young woman could do than abide by the fellow's commands. She had to admit though, she'd much rather be in her cool room by herself then in that hot tower with **his **company.

Earlier that day…

After Ruto had relayed the sudden news to our young heroine in the last chapter, Tetra sat in thoughtful silence. She wasn't unfamiliar with being sought after especially by people she didn't know personally and she could confidently say she wasn't worried about any of them. That was them. She unfortunately _knew_ Ganondorf, she unfortunately _knew_ his fleet of Gerudo, and she unfortunately _knew_ just what kind of threat they really were.

Years ago, when Tetra lived on Windfall with her mother in the comfort of their large home, Tetra had been introduced to the ghastly pirate and his crew. She remembered hearing from some residents about the destruction of Outset Island at the hands of the merciless band of bloodthirsty sea dwellers and silently feared them ever coming to her island. Back then, with her mother in power, the world of New Hyrule was a different place. While pirates had become a new threat, not everyone who wasn't rich had to resort to such low means of survival. Everyone lived comfortably. So such news would terrify the young girl as well as create a giant uproar in the country. The people had yet to know of the tedious deeds the nefarious pirate was truly capable of fulfilling until that fateful night when his ship landed on Windfall…

Thinking about the shamefully dressed red heads and their demonic attitudes gave Tetra unwanted pierces of fear and she tried desperately to forget their merciless raid. Even harder did the girl try to forget witnessing her mother's murder at the hands of their wretched leader…

"Are you alright Tetra?" Ruto asked with sincere concern. Tetra shook her head in an attempt to rid her mind of the sickening memories and then she smiled at Ruto.

"I'm fine."

"… I'm… actually sorry Tetra. Not even you, the worst pirate I've ever known, deserves to be hunted by such a fiend as Ganondorf. If there is any way that I can assist you… please let me know." Tetra stared into the fish girl's eyes with a feeling of disbelief overcoming her. Ruto had once been royalty and as such she dreaded all pirates of any kind, but she especially despised Tetra because she knew who Tetra was, who she _really_ was… The true princess of New Hyrule. Ruto knew her mother, and before her wealth had been stolen and her title erased, she and Tetra's mother worked together to ensure New Hyrule's prosperity. Ruto understood why she was reduced to lowly methods of survival. She'd lost her way of existence to the hands of greedy Hylean dogs, but she didn't understand, or rather couldn't understand the reason Tetra _chose_ to lead such a life. Leaving King Daphnes in control, leaving him to gradually destroy New Hyrule with his greed was something Ruto didn't approve of. She hated Tetra for dishonoring her mother's memory and leaving her kingdom to suffer to the evil she'd tried so hard to keep out. The evil she died to sustain. Maybe that's why she banded together with her friend's murderer. She wanted some sense to be knocked into the rightful princess. She wanted to save New Hyrule. But, trusting Ganondorf wasn't the way to do it. And now Ruto felt foolish and guilty.

"Ruto. If… if I help set you free, promise me that you'll find my crew and have them come back here to rescue me. If Ganondorf is coming to get me… I don't want anyone here to get involved." Ruto nodded submissively.

"I will try. You should try to get out of here yourself though. I'd hate leaving you here."

"Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself." And with that, Tetra freed the Zora and her crew that night.

Now, Tetra silently prayed that Ruto kept her end of the bargain especially sense she didn't keep any insurance like holding one of her crew men hostage.

Aryll tried to stay out of the fuming pirate hunter's path as he seemed about ready to tear the nearest, unsuspecting pedestrian to itsy bitsy pieces. Unfortunately, luck couldn't be more against the girl and she found herself right in his pathway. He stopped stomping around angrily in favor of studying the feeble being before him. Aryll gulped nervously.

"Goo… goo… good day Link…," she greeted happily. Link sighed.

"Yea. Or it _was_ a good day," he mumbled turning away from her curious gaze, "I'm sorry. Excuse me…" As he proceeded to walk around her, Aryll suddenly felt the impulse to grab his arm in an attempt to stop him from leaving. He looked at her curtly.

"Uh… please wait. I… I just wanted to know what's bugging you…" Link eyed her for a moment before answering, "Does it really concern you?" Aryll blushed and let go of him.

"It's just… weren't you talking to Arett? Did you two fight or something?"

"… I suppose you could say we had a falling out. But by no means does it mean that I'm bitter towards you." Aryll caught his eye and could feel the sweat dripping down her cheeks.

"I… I wasn't trying to sound… Well, what I'm trying to say… geez…," the young blonde stuttered helplessly. Link smiled despite himself and put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's alright. You don't need to explain. I was just curious, after the wedding, were you and Arett planning to stay?"

"Uh… no…"

"Oh. Well I just want to let you know that you two won't be going anywhere for some time. I'm putting the both of you under house arrest. If you want to leave, you won't be leaving here alive. But not to worry, it's not your fault Llyra. It's your sister's." Aryll's chocolate colored eyes widened with surprise and Link only grinned and walked away.

"Tetra! Tetra!" Aryll's voice was muffled by the heavy oak door, but Tetra heard it nonetheless.

"Aryll!" She called. She ran to the door to try to open it, but with no such luck, she settled with laying her head against the wood in defeat.

"Tetra… Link… he… I think he knows about us."

"Why?"

"Because he said he's putting us under house arrest. He said there's no way we're getting off this island alive!" Tetra took a deep breath and whispered, "This is **not** good…"  
"What Tetra? I can't hear you!"

"Aryll… We have to leave here."

"What?"

"We can't stay." There was silence on the other side of the door as Aryll tried to process this information.

"… But… What about the Triforce?" The girl questioned innocently. Tetra sighed and turned her back on the door in order to lean against it leisurely.

"We were duped. It was never here. Ruto was working in cahoots with… Ganondorf." There was a gasp and Aryll cupped her hand over her mouth in her surprise. Tetra's own heart started beating against her chest vehemently.

"He's coming here… for me."

"Oh no! We have to leave! Do you think it was him who freed Ruto?"

"No. That was me."

"WHY?"

"Oh. Because she was sorry and she owed me anyway. I told her to get the crew ready. We're leaving." There was silence.

"Tetra… I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. It's not your fault."

Link was just informing a few of the guards to keep watch for our two pirate girls when suddenly a red blur which he saw from the corner of his eye caught his attention. Zelda was the only girl he knew with red hair and she was much too dignified to run around the castle like a flash of lightning. Dismissing the guards, he went in the direction of the blur and ended up in front of the king's throne room. The door was slightly ajar, and Link stealthily snuck up and peered inside. The king was in the company of a rather poignant looking female. She had dark tanned skin and firey red hair. She sat lazily on his throne while the king looked at her angrily.

"You… You fool! Do you know how risky it is for you to be here? Did anyone see you?" The king questioned. The girl laughed and flipped some hair behind her back.

"No. And you best be wise and watch your tone old man. Unless you want to end up… dead," she said. She took a slender dagger from its holster on her hip and licked it as emphasis to her point. Link grabbed the handle of his sword as a precaution. Not that he really cared for the old man's life, shoot, he'd probably let her go through with it, and then ask questions. He was doing it more for his own safety if anything. The king pulled at his collar nervously.

"Now, now… no need to get all prissy…"

"Right… But, listen, I was told to inform you on behalf of Ganondorf, that he is coming to visit you. He said that you're overdue in your paying him back for his services." Link's blood boiled. He could feel himself shake angrily at the mere mention of the man's name. His arch nemesis. His reason for becoming a pirate hunter. Ganondorf the pirate fiend. The king seemed even more nervous than he was before.

"Wha… what does he mean by that?"

"He said that you would know. He said something about you cheating him when you tricked him into giving up the last piece of the sacred treasure." Treasure? Link listened more intently.

"Harumph! He cheated himself when he made the final piece of the treasure go off missing somewhere! He ruined it for us both!"

"He said that's not the case anymore. The final piece of the puzzle is here now. And he also wanted me to tell you that you won't be living to see it." The king raised his hand in an attempt to back hand her, but she laughed and back flipped out of the way, deteriorating into a puff of smoke in midair. The king cursed angrily and sat down on his throne in a huff. Link left feeling betrayed and more angry then words could describe. What was this treasure? What was this secret alliance the king had made with Ganondorf? Then Link realized something. Ganondorf was coming to Windfall.

* * *

A/N: Oh my God! Is the sky falling? Has hell froze over? Are pigs frickin' flying?? Uh yes, no, and in some cases yes. But seriously, I know it's a miracle, but I have updated and now I would like to know how appreciated I am for doing so! You can also flame the crap outta me for being soo late and everything. Keep me motivated guys by reviewing and letting me know what ya think. It's important:P


	9. Chapter 8: Secret Truth and Open Lies

Chapter 8: Secret Truth and Open Deception

It was a blessing and a curse to be watched over by highly skilled knights. It was a blessing because it gave Tetra a sense of security. It was a curse because they were with her where ever she went. She never felt so chained down than she had in the presence of such prestigious individuals as them, whose duty it was to guard her (which really meant to make sure that she didn't leave the island). Tetra was known for being elusive, similar to a mouse that made it a point to sneak around for a decent living. Link was like a cat, a large cat, which would never let his prey out of his sight. He was like an excellent hunter, one that was feared by the smartest and fiercest of any animal. His skills didn't impress Tetra, however. On the contrary, she rather found it a lot easier to hate him and find his skills as dull as that of a lame man's.

Her logic was this, he had managed to catch her but failed to realize that an even bigger threat (yes she decided to acknowledge Ganondorf to be a greater danger to society than her) was coming to the island and would prove to be more trouble then she would ever be. But, if he was dumb enough to find her more dangerous at the present, she would let him continue to think so. After all, it would be his fault when Ganondorf raided the island and killed thousands of innocent aristocrats because the stubborn pirate hunter wouldn't let her leave.

As she walked around town with the pestering knights and guards on look out in various locations on the island, she groaned inwardly and tried to remember why it was she had even bothered to come to Windfall. She took a seat on a bench at its place on a tall hillside where it overlooked the vast sea. A soft breeze blew her long blonde tresses into her face and she tucked the unruly hair behind her ears.

"_The ocean's so pretty mother!"_

"_So you like the ocean Tetra?"_

"_Very much!" _

"_As do I…" _Tetra closed her eyes as she recalled the voices of her past. The memory was almost a blur in her mind, so much so that she couldn't see herself or her mother try as she might. She just heard her voice as clear as the jingling of a bell in an empty space.

"_Mother. I want to sail out on the water one day. I want to go look for the Triforce!" Her mother laughed gently._

"_Yes. I'm sure you do. It's in your blood Tetra."_

"_Hee! You'll come too, right mom? We'll find it together?"_

"_Sure sweetie. Whatever you wish…"_ Tetra opened her eyes slowly and felt a harsh pain in her chest. The voices were so clear… but the memory was totally gone just like her mother… The only thing that had remained was the pirate's ambition and her goal. She'd chosen to seek out the golden relic of legends pass. She turned her intense gaze up skyward and watched the clouds as they traveled slowly in relation to earth's constant rotation. The time with her mother seemed like a dream… a long, far off, and forgotten dream that Tetra didn't want to loose. Her hand subconsciously found her necklace and she held it tightly as though it held the power to bring back her lost memories… her stolen time… her mother.

"Arett!" Tetra continued to watch the clouds, openly ignoring the person calling out for her. Soon the owner of the voice had joined the girl and Tetra saw that it was Zelda's nursemaid, Impa.

"What is it?" she snapped irritated. Impa tried to catch her breath.

"Uh… excuse me… But Zelda has called an audience with you… she wishes for you to attend her tea party." Tetra's upper lip curled in a visual display of the disgusted thoughts she was thinking silently.

"No thanks."

"She… she said that it isn't a request and that I should bring you to her by force if need be… Forgive me… I know you rather not but… please don't make me force you to go darling…," Impa said through sharp breaths. Tetra sighed irritated and found herself following Impa back to the palace. On her way, she stared at the back of the nursemaid's head remembering it from a different perspective. She remembered seeing it from a child's point of view, which she had to cock her head to look up at her in order to see her properly.

"_Come on little princess… No hunching your back darling…"_

"_But Impa! I feel stupid holding my chin up all the time!"_

"_But you look so adorable your highness! Just think, one day you'll be just as lovely a lady as your mother."_

"_Mother doesn't even do it half as well as you do Impa."_

"_It'll get easier little one… I'm promise." That's when Tetra looked up at Impa to study the way she kept her posture as she walked_. The pirate smiled. It wasn't a memory of her mother, but it was one that she saw clearly and remembered just as well. It was the time when she was four years old and she was preparing for her fifth birthday ball that her mother insisted on throwing. Her mother claimed that, "Turning five is a big deal in a young lady's life. This is a special birthday!" Tetra always had large extravagant parties for her birthdays no matter what age (until she ran away of course) so she didn't understand what was so special about her fifth birthday. Impa had explained to her, "It is the time when little princesses must begin learning proper etiquette and how to be young ladies. I'll teach you the key tricks to being an honorable madam!" And so she did.

"Impa…," Tetra muttered softly. The white haired woman turned to look at the pirate quizzically.

"Dear? You sound troubled…," she noticed, "What's the matter?"

"Oh… nothing. It's just that having all these guards and knights around…," Tetra said, "It's got me a bit tired out."

"Yes. It can be a tiresome business. I've never seen a time when Link was put so on edge that he felt a need to raise security around the island… And what's more, he has them following you around like you're some criminal! I'm sorry for that dear… really I am. He's probably just extra concerned for your safety." Tetra couldn't stop the small giggle that escaped her mouth. Impa just didn't know how wrong she was for speaking such ignorant words.

"I know he doesn't seem like the type… he's so distant from everyone else… But he does really care deep down. I've known him since he was just a wee lad. He was such a happy boy…" Tetra stared at Impa's face finding the tears brimming her darkly colored eyes to kindle slight curiosity within her.

"What… happened? Why'd he change?" Tetra asked. Her companion wiped the tears away and shook her head.

"Some things are better left unknown dear." With that said, the two continued their walk to the castle in complete silence.

Link stood in front of the king, standing like an insignificant insect in the king's rather large throne room. The king's gaze was passive but Link could see the anxiousness hidden behind his deceptive mask. He tried not to call him out about it, otherwise he'd fail in what it was he had been planning since seeing the king in the company of that Gerudo wench. He wanted answers. And he would get them.

"Link," the crook said slowly. Link's eyes narrowed dangerously and he crossed his arms.

"Your highness…," he spat. The king seemed taken aback by Link's iciness but he regained his cool demeanor as he spoke.

"What's with that angry tone? Is something the matter? You aren't still angry with me for making you pay off all that man power you wasted in trying to kidnap that Tetra bandit are you? I mean... I've given you control of my knights and guards to look after the town at your command. I trust you Link. With my life. I'd hate for there to be any bad blood between us." The man's tone was smothered with so much saccharine flattery that Link felt himself get a tooth ache. He tried to hold back on his steadily growing anger so as not to give the king any reason to stop trusting him, so he forced an empty grin to appear on his face.

"Of course… I mean… You're my soon to be father-in-law after all… we can't have… bad blood." They were silent as they stared one another down. Unlike Zelda, her father's gaze was quite poisonous and intense. His eyes were filled with such malicious malevolence that even the darkest and evilest person in the world would tremble beneath his gaze. Link despised him as a person. He despised him as a king. And he despised him for being a secretive criminal. This hatred gave him enough power to meet the king's glare and so the two were trapped as they unknowingly gazed into the hidden depths of one another's souls.

"…If there's something you're hiding… then spill it," Link stated calmly. His enemy just chuckled and replied, "There's nothing that I'm hiding Link. If there was… well… you'd know about it right?"

"Why do you think I'm here? I know you've worked with Ganondorf to find some kind of treasure. What _is _this treasure and why did you have to work with him to get it?" The accusation was so bold and the questions were so bare that Link expected the king to have no choice but to answer them, however…

"Link. Have I given you any reason to doubt me? Given, New Hyrule is in a mess at this current point in time with people running amuck on the other islands and the economy so bad… Not only that but the pirate menace threatens the Great Sea. Yet I am criticized harshly by my own people. I'm only one man. What can I do to fix things by myself? However…My late sister knew of something that would make sure New Hyrule was always prosper. An ancient legend once said that the bearer of a certain angelic relic could have any of his heart's desires granted! I simply wanted to have it for myself. And you can't call me greedy Link because I'm not being greedy! I'm trying to help my people! I helped you! Remember? You were alone, left to die on that deserted island… yes… You had everything taken from you… your little sister… your grandmother… your home… friends… But I was there Link. I was there appearing as a light in your dark future. You can't actually believe that me… me your savior… could actually conspire with the very evil that has damned this kingdom…. Can you?" The young man simply glared coldly at the king. What had been spoken was indeed true. But how much of it wasn't the whole truth? Link decided to leave this discussion at its current end. Truth was always triumphant. He'd get his answers. But for now, knowing when to step off seemed essential if he ever wanted to find that truth.

"No. Sorry," Link told. He bowed lowly, and the king simply dismissed him with a wave of the hand.

"Go on now boy," he ordered and Link did leave but not before catching the sick grin that had appeared on the king's face.

"I can't believe that you're going to be married soon!" Mila exclaimed merrily. She took a quick sip of her peach tea before setting her cup down in front of her in favor of helping herself to some of the sugar cookies piled on a silver platter in the middle of the small, glass table. Zelda laughed airily while flipping her lustrous red hair over her shoulder arrogantly. She pushed Mila's hand away from the dish in order to get some cookies herself.

"Yes. I know. It's a shame really. I'd hate being married to such a stuffy man as Link. He can be too uptight at times. I'll never get to have any fun…," she whined. The princess took a bite out of her cookie as though she was distraught and needed immediate relief. Mila and Maggie nodded their heads furiously in agreement.

"I for one find that in order for a relationship to work, fun is essential," Linda spoke. Tetra listened and watched them all angrily. They sat around talking about irrelevant things and all Zelda's quests ever did was agree with whatever the princess said despite their own thoughts on the matter. Now, Tetra didn't think that Link wasn't a little stuffy and he could be a bit over controlling (judging by the extreme measures he went to in order to make sure she stayed on the island) but he wasn't no fun. She found him to be exhilarating in all actuality. He pissed her off like no other guy before could, he overpowered her with his coldness, and he managed to trap her. No one had ever been as successful as him when it came to this particular ruffian. No one. Plus… now that she thought about it… he was actually very cute. Tetra grinned a little. Yea… he was cute and he was a little cool even. She respected that even though he really knew how to press her buttons.

"What do you think Arett?" Zelda asked. Everyone looked at her expectantly and Tetra held her chin up high while she replied, "I don't think he's so bad. He's a steady fellow. He'll make a good husband." Everyone exchanged looks and Zelda glared angrily at Tetra for a moment before smiling sweetly.

"I hope you all weren't talking about me…" Tetra choked on her tea and started coughing before she turned around to see Link standing there with a nonchalant smirk on his face. She blushed. She heard Zelda's irritating giggle and knew that it was for her.

"I'll take it that you were," he said. He coolly strolled over to the females bowing gentlemanly and then he looked at Tetra who refused to meet his taunting gaze.

"Link… darling…," Zelda muttered forcefully through clenched teeth, "Don't you see that we are busy?"

"Oh. I'm sorry. I was just coming to borrow Arett for a moment…," he told and then he addressed the crimson faced blonde, "Would you grant me the honor?" He held his hand out and Tetra looked at it with disdain before accepting it reluctantly. Link pulled her up from her seat and guided her away with the other's watching in confusion.

Tetra was dragged along none to gently as Link maneuvered easily through the twisting corridors of the castle. She followed silently studying the familiar setting with a strange sense of nostalgia overcoming her. He led her through a hall filled with many pictures of different people and things which she recognized as sages and stories about the Triforce. One particular picture of a blonde haired man caught her attention and she stopped to gawk at it. It used to be her favorite picture. It was the one depicting what the Hero's ancestor might look like and Tetra remembered staring at it all the time as a child. She loved his determined expression, the blue of his eyes, his square chin, and masculine shoulders.

"_Mother! Look! One day I'll marry someone like that won't I?"_

"_You can do whatever you like darling… You just can't marry the descendent of the High Knight's bloodline."_

"_Why not mother? Isn't that the best decision because he'll look the most like the Great Hero?"_

"_Yes… but it would only bring calamity darling. You see… it's just not possible."_ Tetra was so hurt by the news that she remembered being furious at her mother for a long time thereafter. Her mother never had the chance to fully emphasize the importance of keeping the bloodlines separate, resulting in the little princess deciding to disregard her mother's claim altogether. She wouldn't stop loving the Hero…

"Tetra? Is there a problem?" Tetra turned away from the picture and looked at Link who crossed his arms impatiently. If she looked close enough, she could see obvious similarities between the portrait and the young man standing before her. The same blue eyes, same square chin, the same blonde hair… She gasped a little and looked away abruptly. Was that why he was marrying Zelda? Was it because he was a descendant of the High Knight, the Hero? Was he really supposed to be marrying her? Her heart beat sped up and she held her chest to calm herself.

"Tetra?" Link put a hand on her shoulder and spun her around to look at him. The stubborn pirate refused to make eye contact and settled to look at her feet as she tried to make sense of her discovery.

If she had remained in the castle… if she had remained the princess to this very day… would she be the one to marry Link? Link would be her betrothed? The girl shook her head furiously. She wasn't the princess anymore! She was the feared pirate Tetra, ruler of the Great Sea. And Link. Link was her arch nemesis. Link wasn't the Hero. He was a ferocious pirate hunter. Link shook her shoulders forcefully and Tetra had no choice but to look at him helplessly.

"What is the matter with you?" he asked, "Are you intoxicated?" The girl in his hands just shook her head sluggishly, staring at him sadly. Something tugged at his heart at seeing the anguish cloud around in her eyes' milky depths causing him to release her. He'd never seen her in such a state. She was always loud, always picking fights with him, which especially true since a day ago when he put her under house arrest that included having the whole island being guarded mercilessly. He never saw her so… feeble. Was it something about the picture that brought on her change in attitude? He glanced at it.

"What has got you so worked up about this picture?" he inquired. He returned his attention to the small beauty in front of him, who was watching him just as intently.

"… Is… is this your… ancestor?" Tetra asked. Link nodded, "Yes." Tetra's heart shattered and she didn't even know why. It was so surreal to find out that the person you secretly loved all your life was in fact engaged to an imposter and was your natural born enemy! Tetra held her head as she swayed a little. Link caught her before she completely killed over.

"What's your deal?"

"I… need some fresh air…"

Aryll sat in the library reading. That's all she ever did was read nowadays… well that and secretly think about the pirate hunter with whom she had the fortune to live with. But anyway, enough of that, back to the reading. As fun as it was gathering knowledge about things collected from over the years and recorded in the books Aryll found herself glued to, she also found that the information was pointless to her cause. There was nothing in the royal library about the location of the Triforce! But then again… Tetra had in fact told her that they had been tricked and the Triforce was probably no where near them. She highly doubted she'd ever be lucky enough to help Tetra in her search! Not even if her luck dropped from the highest bookshelf in the room in the form of a dusty book which looked like it hadn't been touched in over a millennium and fell on her head. But it did. Aryll looked at the small book and felt her downtrodden spirit revive somewhat at sensing the small hope that the book created by revealing itself. She opened it gently, careful not to let the pages fall apart and looked. It was written in ancient Hylean. The newly revived spirits began to die miserably once more until she thumbed through and found a page that had been translated by someone. The translation was written in ink and could be seen right below the old text of the book. Aryll strained her eyes to read the person's small and fancy penmanship:

_And in the year after Hyrule's destruction… the Goddesses granted the two families with potential to see the revival of Hyrule through with two pieces of the Triforce in hopes that they would guard them and never again bring them together to use the Triforce's power again. The blood of the Royal Family must never mix with that of the High Knight's or else it would allow the two pieces of the Triforce to come together and chaos would ensue. The Triforce must never be used to obtain selfish desires of the heart…_

Aryll's eyes widened at the news. She could hardly wait to disclose the new information to Tetra.

"Ah! This feels a lot better!" Tetra exclaimed. Link watched her lithe form tread through the water seemingly with as much grace and expertise as that of a swan as he sat in the sand on the beach. Tetra's lavender gown had been tossed off hurriedly by the anxious girl and gathered by Link so as not to be ruined. Unlike the pirate, Link had respect for the finer things in life even if they weren't that important. And unlike the pirate hunter, Tetra knew how to enjoy the simple things in life. She floated on her back so she could stare up at the yellow orange sky. It was sunset.

"Don't get used to this…," the boy said and Tetra looked at him.

"You don't get used to it. I don't care what you say or do. I'm getting off this island," she claimed. That irritating smirk was once again apparent on Link's face and Tetra felt her blood being to boil.

"Whatever you say… but I am still curious… why did you come here in the first place Tetra? It can't be that you're suicidal…?" Link watched the girl as she fumbled and splashed in the water like a fish. Her hair stuck to her skin like paste and her undergarments (white as they were) stuck to her revealing some skin through its opaque surface. Link felt his cheeks heat up and he tried to look away but something about her was so captivating to him that he couldn't. It was like the time he was in her room. He tried to fight the temptation but it was futile. There was some invisible attraction he had for her and there was no telling what caused this attraction. He was just drawn to her no matter how hard he denied it or how mean he was to her.

"… I came here looking for something that obviously isn't here…," she told finally. Link snapped out of his reverie and asked her, "Which is…?"

"… Why do you care?"

"I make it my business to know the affairs of my enemies. Besides, I'm trying to understand why you tried to sneak on the island and then release my prisoner."

"All you need to know is that I'm looking for something! And that's it!"

"But that doesn't explain why you set a blood thirsty pirate out on the loose to wreck havoc!" Tetra winced at Link's menacing tone.

"Why do you hate pirates so much? Did it never occur to you that not all pirates are bad people? Some have never killed a soul."

"You being one of them I presume…," Link said sarcastically.

"What is your problem?" The boy yawned and lay back in the sand to look at the sky, which was getting darker, it seemed, by the second. He heard water splash and then Tetra sat beside him, smelling of salt. He didn't bother to look at her though. His mind was too far gone remembering past events that hurt to think about. He held a far off look and Tetra was almost sorry for asking.

"… I… I lost everything to pirates… My home… my family… my life…," he mumbled slowly. Tetra listened silently.

"I was just a kid… but… that didn't matter. Nothing mattered. They killed and they didn't care who they killed. They stole and they didn't care what they stole. It was madness and… death… so much… death. I didn't understand what any of us had done to deserve it… I… didn't understand why everyone I loved had to die…," Link said, his voice cracking a little as tears entered his eyes, "… I was the only one left. My little sister… my grandma… I had no idea what became of them but I knew I was alone… I was the only one left alive. And I hated myself. I hated myself for being so weak! I hated myself for living! I hated myself for letting the pirates get away with it all! I vowed that no one else would suffer what I had to them… no one else…" Tetra felt her eyes water. The emotion soaking his every word was so powerful and so uncharacteristic that she could feel it herself. She looked at him and saw that he wouldn't allow himself to cry even though he wanted to. He tried to be so strong but he was so destroyed and hurt. Tetra wept softly. His situation reminded her of herself. She tried so hard get over the hurt of the past that she destroyed herself to become someone that defied everything she once stood for in order to get back at the injustice of the world. Link destroyed himself to become strong enough to rid the world of his enemies and to erase the hurt of his past.

"That's why… I hate pirates and I hunt them." Tetra's sobs grew in volume and Link looked at her incredulously.

"Why… why are you crying?" Tetra only continued to cry and flung herself on him to cry into his shoulder. She held on to his sleeve tightly and cried and cried and cried. Link could only watch in disbelief.

"I… I… I'm so sorry… so… so… sorry…," she said through her tears. Link strained his elven ears to listen, "… But… Don't take your anger out on the world Link! Because… because… it wasn't _pirates_ that attacked your island… it was a _pirate_! We all don't mean to be so… so dangerous… it's the only way we can survive in this world… please… understand… I would never wish that anyone Link… not on a soul…" The boy sat there dumbfounded before pulling her off from him. Tetra was still crying. Link stared at her.

"Why are you crying? Why are you apologizing?" he asked.

"… I… I… I never thought that I would become my own enemy…," she answered.

"What?"

"… I just wanted to leave… I never wanted to be apart of something so evil…" She took the dagger from Link's boot and put it in his hand. Curling her own slender fingers around his, she had him grip the dagger and aimed it straight at her chest. Link looked completely mortified.

"Tetra!"

"Do it! I'm terrible! Do it! Just end it all!" she cried. Her eyes were closed tightly and she had turned her head the other way so as to be oblivious to the inevitable pain that the blade would ensue. Link's grip on the dagger tightened and so did her grip on his hand. She half expected the dagger to already be plunged mercilessly into her heart and she half expected to see paradise when she opened her eyes, but nothing happened. Tetra turned to look at Link with aggravation.

"If you're going to do it then do it already!" she cried.

"And give you the satisfaction? I don't think so," he told. He used his free hand to break the steadfast grip Tetra had on his other, and then he placed the dagger back into his boot and out of sight. He got up and proceeded to walk away without so much as a second glance. Tetra was mystified. How could he relate such a miserable tale, not cry, and then walk away like nothing happened? The girl stared at his retreating figure feeling slightly angry that he felt like he could just ignore her like that! She was giving her life to him as compensation for all the others lost to the hands of others like her and he just walked away?

"You jackass!" She yelled and she chucked one of her sandals at the back of his head. The pirate hunter stopped in his tracks and looked at her with an expression on his face that she had never seen him wear. It was soft and melancholy.

"What the hell?"

"…You can't just walk away! What I did was very noble! I was giving you my life! I'm one of them Link! You'll be getting revenge if you kill me just like you got revenge by killing other pirates! I'm offended! You didn't even have the decency to thank me!" Tetra huffed angrily to vent her fuming frustrations. Link grinned a small grin before he began to walk back to her, slowly and threateningly, holding her small shoe in his hand.

"You want me to kill you… is that it? I thought I was doing you the favor… And so what if I killed you? It's just one more life to the thousands of others lost! What good would it do me? Or them? Besides, you claim to be a pirate… you've done some sickening deeds, and yet you… you'd actually die for a noble cause? You feel pity? How would that look if I killed one of the few people still alive today with that much human decency? If I killed you after all that, I'd be a criminal," Link explained as he strolled back over to Tetra's kneeling body. He held her shoe back out to her and she hesitated to take it.

"But… but I am a criminal…"

"But you're not one that has tainted your hands with human blood." He gave her the sandal and Tetra continued to stare at him.

"For that… I… thank you." Link bowed and then he began to walk away again. Tetra held onto her sandal and squeezed it tightly to her chest. What… the… hell?

* * *

A/n: Ew!Pooh on me! I was supposed to be typing up a six page report for school tomorrow but I took the time to update this instead... (Plus I am the world's greatest procrastinator but plz don't tell my parents:P) So enjoy! And all you evil, evil, evil ppl out there who are reading and not reviewing... (makes puppy eyes) Plz do so! It's really hard trying to get back into the groove of this story but I'm trying so hard for your stinky benefit! The least you could do is tell me what you think! But to all you wonderful beautiful ppl who have reviewed thank you so much and I hope two updates in one week is a well appreciated thank you gift!

Thanks! Toodles:P (Trudges off to finish report... solemnly...)


	10. Chapter 9:Love and Hate

Chapter 9: Love and Hate

Nabooru inhaled heavily, letting the familiar salty sea air fill her lungs to bursting. It was good to once again be out on the opened sea and Nabooru relished in the opportunity any way she could. She loved the way the sun seemed to be shining just for this happy occasion and she felt like busting out in a dance on top of the deck of her new ship (actually Tetra's new ship), the _AmaRa II_. She'd finally succeeded in replacing the old, battle worn ship, with something fresh and new. It was expertly crafted by the best ship builder alive and said to be the fastest ship ever to sail the Great Sea. Tetra had better appreciate all the hard work that came with collecting this particular ship, which was stated plainly, a lot of work.

"Captain!" Saria called. Nabooru sighed as the magic of the moment slowly melted away with Saria's outburst. The Gerudo looked at the small, green haired female.

"Yes Saria?" The girl seemed timid for a moment, shyly twisting a lock of her hair around her finger before she spoke, "… I'm worried about Tetra and Aryll." The red head slapped a hand to her forehead in a display of her exasperation.

"You ruined my glory party for this?" Nabooru exclaimed, "How many times have we been through this? Tetra and Aryll are fine! It's probably just taking a little longer than they originally planned that's all. They are fully capable pirates."

"Yea… but… It's been a week Nabooru! What if something's happened? I mean, don't you find it odd that they haven't contacted us yet?" Of course Nabooru concurred most whole heartedly with Saria. There hadn't been anything else she was worried about the whole time (save finding a replacement, no scratch that, new and improved ship). It wasn't just them feeling that way either. The whole crew was put on edge. It could have a great deal to do with the fact that everyone was getting tired of Nabooru ordering them around all time, abusing her power as Captain while Tetra was away. But the real reason was because they all missed Tetra terribly, though they were all too tough to admit it to one another. For Nabooru this was especially true. She was **Captain**! She couldn't show weakness of any kind, shape, or form. At least, not without risking her position. The crew needed her as their model, their leader. They needed her to stand strong when they found it hard to gather their own strength. Now was no exception.

"… They're all right Saria. Now stop worrying," the woman commanded authoritatively. Saria didn't argue but Nabooru could tell from the solemn expression on her face that she wasn't reassured.

"Captain! Captain I see something creepin' up on us!" Medli called loudly from her position up in the crow's nest. Nabooru looked and sure enough, a light blue form was treading the water at incredible speeds. At first the Gerudo had mistaken it for a large fish, but it was swimming much too fast and seemed to have its course premeditated. Nothing was going to stop it from coming in contact with the ship.

"What do we do Nabooru? It's gaining on us!" Saria questioned. Nabooru's heart beat quickened. It was the hard decisions that took whatever joy there was in being captain of the ship. She watched as the light blue form closed the distance between it and the ship easily and as she watched, the more familiar the form became.

"It's a Zora!" The captain acknowledged and as she did so, the said Zora leaped onto the ship splashing water everywhere as she did so. The crew gathered around to examine their unexpected visitor.

"What'd you want?" Nabooru demanded. The female Zora bowed lowly before stating, "I have news pertaining to the captain of this vessel."

"I'm the captain but what…"

"You're talking about Tetra aren't you? Is she well? What's happened?" Malon asked. Everyone waited intently for the fish girl's reply.

"My mistress Ruto asked that I deliver a message of the utmost importance to the crew aboard the _AmaRa_, that being you, I have only this to say, Tetra and Aryll are safe and unharmed but shall not remain so for long as Ganondorf the Fiend is making his way to Windfall Island this very moment in search of your captain. She and Aryll are in much danger and my mistress urges you to travel to the island in haste if you want to save them." The news was not at all what any of them had been expecting especially since Nabooru stressed how inconceivable it was for their comrades' well being to be in any danger. They looked at their captain now with angry looks. She ignored them and asked, "Why is Ganondorf after Tetra?"

"He wants the sacred treasure of legends passed. He wants the Triforce." Nabooru looked hopeful.

"So they found it! They actually found it!"

"No. Tetra has not found it. It still remains dormant. That is why it is so crucial that you go to her now before it is too late! Hurry! There's no time for any more inquiring!" No one argued and all went back to their posts. Malon steered the ship around in the direction of Windfall and set on full speed ahead.

It had been a week. A week exactly this day that marked the eve before Link and Zelda were to be married. As much as Tetra hated Windfall, as much as she hated Link, and as much as she despised Ruto for tricking her into coming back to her home just to sit around as prize fish bait for Ganondorf to find, the pirate regretted having to leave so early. She and Aryll had advised an escape route that was bound for easy success tomorrow night because everyone would be distracted with the wedding. Even though it was tomorrow night, she still felt like it was coming up so fast. She didn't want to leave. She didn't want to leave her home behind again, especially now that she knew how much she really cherished it. The conversation she had had with Link previously had sent her on a roller coaster of emotions that stirred many dormant memories from the deepest and dimmest depths of her memory. Her conversation with Link made her question everything that she had become, which was exactly everything she hated. Her conversation with Link had such a deep impact on her, but failed to eliminate the feeling of regret she felt for watching her mother die and doing nothing to honor her memory.

She sat now in the ballroom. The familiar ballroom that possibly held the biggest memory she had locked away for so long. It was in this room that her mother was murdered. She remembered it all vividly. She saw in her mind's eye the people dancing and celebrating New Hyrule's 100th Anniversary in this room. Light music was playing and Tetra remembered dancing with her mother happily. It was such a merry time that nothing could prepare any of them for what had happened next. They came, storming the castle, killing anything that walked. People were screaming and running to find some sort of safe haven from the pirates' fury. During all the panic, Tetra had been separated from her mother. She watched as everyone ran around her with the Gerudo chasing after them. Some people had run into the lanterns, causing them to fall over. The fire was so hot and had spread so quickly. Tetra cried out, the heat from the flames slightly scorching her tender flesh. Her mother had found her and picked her up, cradling the little girl in her arms protectively. Together they tried to find an exit to the steadily growing ring of fire around them, but to no avail. Just then, the demon himself appeared, walking through the flames as though he was born of them, as though the heat had no affect upon him. Tetra had shivered slightly despite the rising temperature in the room. Her mother held her more tightly before putting her down.

"Your majesty," he spoke. Her mother frowned angrily.

"What do you want?" She hissed. He chuckled evilly and strolled up to the queen. He used his tall form to tower over her menacingly.

"You know what I want. Now hand it over," he demanded. The queen huffed defiantly.

"What you seek you shall not find. No man alive has ever seen it though it exists only a small distance away. The heart of a crooked man can never traverse this distance because his tainted vision would lose the way. Only one of a pure heart can find it. Only the one of royal blood can wield it." Ganondorf growled dangerously before back handing the woman so hard that she stumbled backward as her body turned with the force of the blow. Tetra gasped and cried. Her mother looked at her and so had Ganondorf. Smiling a crooked grin, he proceeded to reach out for Tetra, threateningly. Tetra shivered once again as his hand forcefully pulled her up by the collar of her shirt.

"Maybe I can persuade you to stop talking in your frustrating riddles by doing this…," he said as he held a stained blade to Tetra's neck. She felt her own blood drip as the steel penetrated easily through her flesh.

"No! Leave her alone! I'll tell you! I'll tell you how to find it!"

"I'm listening…" Tetra saw tears in her mother's eyes threatening to fall but never falling. When she spoke her voice was steady and determined.

"After you've collected the three gems of the goddesses then you must search for the map containing the location of their temple. After you bring both the bearers together before the goddesses' eyes, only then will the Triforce reveal itself." Tetra noticed how her mother was looking at her. She was so calm despite her disposition that it somehow raised hope inside her. Ganondorf cackled cruelly.

"More of your riddles eh? Well, say good bye to your darling daughter Queen Amara." Tetra gasped, but before he could cut her throat, she bit the hand that held her and he dropped her screaming in his surprise. She scurried away and her mother used some of her magic to force Ganondorf backward. He yelled many an obscenity as he flew back into a wall forcefully. Tetra smiled but it quickly faded when the king of evil regained himself and easily returned the blow to her mother, which made her double over in pain. He ran up to her grabbing her neck with one of his large masculine hands. As he squeezed her throat, threatening break it easily with his inhumane strength, he grabbed a hold of her right hand and a sick grin filled his face.

"So… you aren't the bearer of the Triforce after all. You aren't worth shit to me anymore. Good bye…," he said coldly. It had happened in a quick instant. Her mother's life was taken so easily and mercilessly that it was hard for Tetra to quite grasp the fact that she had indeed witnessed her mother's murder. The pain was there, but the reality was so surreal. She could still recall her mother's final words, "Only you… can protect it now…" She had most definitely meant the Triforce. Her mother had taught her enough to know that the Royal Family was the protector of the Triforce along with the High Knight's descendents.

Maybe that's why she searched so long and so hard for it. It was her mother's dying wish. It was Tetra's duty no matter who she was. Either a ruthless pirate or the princess of destiny, she was the sole protector of the Triforce. But, even as its protector, she had no idea where to find it. She was completely oblivious to its whereabouts, save her mother's map and her own knowledge regarding the ancient relic. But knowing that Ganondorf never found it was comforting enough, and so she didn't feel like a complete failure. Though, being back in the room of her mother's final moments revived her ambition tenfold, she gripped her necklace tightly as memories of the time after her mother's death entered her mind.

It was a sad time for all. No one was happy. Many people came to the funeral, from all around, to pay their respects to her mother. It was hard to find anyone who wasn't crying. Except Tetra hadn't cried. She couldn't cry. Her emotions were so confused that they practically fused together making it impossible to identify sadness, anger, or fear. One thing was certain however, she wouldn't let herself or the Triforce become victims of Ganondorf's wrath like her poor mother.

As time flew by and Tetra grew into a young lady, she began to despise life. No one seemed to remember her mother. Everyone forgot about her easily and so much so that it was like she never existed. Her portraits were replaced with portraits of her brother, Daphnes, who had moved into the castle to take his temporary place as king until Tetra had become old enough to rule New Hyrule. Her books and other belonging were stored away, her room given to Marin, Daphnes' daughter. No one mind and no one cared. There was no one to save the little princess from her traumatizing nightmares that continually took her back to that night, making her relive the experience over and over. Tetra was dying, dying to the darkness that began to cloud her vision. She hated everyone. She hated her fat and greedy uncle, his shallow daughter, the people of New Hyrule, and she hated herself the most for living when her mother didn't. She hated herself for being the princess. She hated herself for being the Triforce's protector. She had to get away, she had to get away from the world that forgot her mother, her haunting nightmares, and even herself. She needed to disappear and she did.

As she recalled her decision now, she saw it as a coward's way out. When she left, she not only damned her existence, but also New Hyrule by leaving it in the hands of her corrupted uncle. She had been stuck in a dream, a lost cause for so long while fooling herself into believing that she was free. Free of her burdens, of her past. The truth was, she was stuck in the past and tried forever to hide from it. Things had to change. Ganondorf was coming for her. Would she run away with Aryll? Or would she stay and fight?

"Mother…"

"This is where I'll be throwing my Bachelorette Ball. The old ballroom." Tetra looked up from her crouched position to see Zelda and Impa stroll inside easily. Zelda seemed taken aback at seeing Tetra, and Impa smiled sweetly.

"Hello dear," she said. Tetra studied the both of them, identifying them as key figures in her past. She knew them, yet they didn't know her. Would they hate her if they knew who she really was? Who she had become?

"Arett, what are you doing here?" Zelda snapped.

"I… I was just looking," Tetra said plainly, "This room is a wreck. What happened?" She deliberately asked the question because she needed to know. She needed to know if they had forgotten, or if they had tried to just like she had. A look of pain flickered in Impa's eyes and Zelda just shrugged.

"It was caught on fire many years ago. No one's used it since," Zelda explained, "I think it's perfect for the theme I was looking for. Of course it will need to be cleaned up a little, right Impa? I'll leave that to you."

"Wait a minute? What's happening in here?"

"I'm throwing a party to celebrate my last night as a bachelorette. Tomorrow, I shall become a married woman. Now stop being nosy and get out of here!"

"No. You can't throw a party in here! This is a… a memorial sight! You can't have a party here! I won't let you!" Tetra cried. Zelda crossed her arms angrily.

"You can't tell me what to do. I'm the princess!"

"No you aren't!" Both Impa and Zelda exchanged surprised looks before looking back at Tetra who could feel her shame in the rose tinted blush that began to occupy her pale cheeks. Zelda frowned and stomped her foot like a child throwing a fit.

"How dare you? Do you know you're treading on dangerous ground?" Tetra backed up slowly.

"I…," the rest of her sentence caught in her throat as she felt her anger boil.

"I'm having the party here. End of discussion. Now get out of my face wretch," Zelda ordered. Impa took Tetra by the arm and led her out of the room.

"Oh dear. What were you thinking back there? I know you usually argue with Zelda all the time but I think you took it a little far that time," she said. Tetra turned on her angrily.

"Why? Because I said the truth?"

"But… dear… how would you even know… to…"

"Forget it! She can have her little party! I don't care!" Tetra cried and stormed away with Impa watching in confusion.

Aryll sat watching the blue green waves of the sea roll gently in and out of the shore. She felt so sad and helpless. She and Tetra were trapped on the island unless their plan succeeded and they escaped during the festivities tomorrow night. Aryll desperately wanted to get away. She couldn't stand to watch Link marry that over zealous brat! The more she thought about it, the more it worked her nerves. What did he see in her anyway, or was it an arranged marriage? Which ever was the case, she hated Link for being such a feeble idiot for going through with it. She huffed a little and crossed her arms.

"My, my… what have we here? Fresh meat," she heard a manly voice speak. She turned around and saw Cannon, the perverted owner of the expensive Bomb Shop, stand behind her in a drunken stupor. He licked his lips suggestively and grabbed her by the arm.

"What are you doing? Let me go!" Aryll demanded. Cannon only laughed and hiccupped drunkenly.

"Comeondon'tbelikedatbaby…," he said as he slurred his words into incomprehensible speech. Aryll slapped his hand away as he proceeded to run it over her leg. The action didn't stop him from forcing himself on her and trying to kiss her. She could feel her anger rise and her pirate instincts began to kick in. She pulled a dagger from its hidden position in a holster on her thigh. After she socked him in the jaw forcefully, causing him to recoil, she pulled the dagger up meaning to stab him square in the stomach but someone pulled Cannon away forcefully. Aryll's eyes widened as she watched Link hold Cannon up by the scruff of his collar. The boy was clearly irritated and said icily, "What do you think you're doing Cannon?" The drunken store owner just laughed and hiccupped.

"Nothin'…," he answered. Link frowned dangerously.

"That's what I thought," he said. He effortlessly tossed the perverted man away. Cannon moaned but made no attempt to get up from his position. Aryll put her dagger away and smiled when Link looked at her.

"Thank you," she said.

"No problem. I'm sorry you had to deal with such idiocy. Allow me to walk you back to the castle." He held his arm out and Aryll accepted blushing slightly. They walked back to the castle in silence but Aryll didn't mind the quiet. She savored her time with Link anyway.

"So… are you going to the party tonight?" Link asked politely.

"Bah! I don't know… I doubt that Princess Zelda would notice if I was there or not. I'd rather just read."

"Why do you read all the time?"

"Oh… I guess I'm just curious. You can learn a lot of stuff from books after all."

"Good answer." Aryll snuggled closer and sighed with content. Once they made it to the castle, Link parted ways and Aryll sighed, disappointed that their time together was over so soon, but she relished the fact that they had spent time together at all.

At Zelda's party, it was all sophisticated and any one that was someone was present. Tetra stood against the wall, watching her fellow party goers with disdain. You couldn't even call it a party. And to think that Zelda would dishonor the memory of what happened in that room with such a waste of time and effort. As Tetra looked on, she couldn't help but feel like it was that night all over again and the feeling was suffocating her. She left out onto the balcony to catch herself.

"Don't you look lovely tonight." Tetra turned around and saw Link grinning beside her on an opposite balcony. Her upper lip curled unknowingly to her and she said, "Ew. It's you. Don't you have your own party to be at right about now?" Link shrugged coolly and leaned up against the marble banister without taking his eyes off her. She really did look lovely in her midnight blue gown that trailed down to the ground. She wore light make up and a simple pearl necklace and matching earrings. She made classy hot and Link had the hardest time trying to take his eyes off her. Her long blonde hair trailed down her back and she tucked some loose strands behind her ear. She was gorgeous and now Link would admit it to himself that he enjoyed looking at her. Before he knew she was beautiful, but refused to look at her as anything but a pirate dog. The lowest scum of the earth. But after their discussion, he began seeing her differently. He began to see her as the person she was, and not that loud mouth and sassy pirate hussy that was known all throughout the Great Sea. Tetra looked at him looking at her and frowned.

"What's your problem you idiot?"

"Nothing," he answered plainly. His answer shocked the girl slightly and she said, "…Okay…" Tetra could feel herself start to blush under his scrutinizing gaze and she turned her back on him. There was no escaping his steady stare.

"What do you want?" She snapped, looking back at him. He smiled a little.

"Nothing," he replied coyly. Tetra stomped her foot angrily.

"Don't you have more then a one word vocabulary???" she cried. Link laughed at her outburst and Tetra felt her whole head heat up. He had a nice laugh. Why didn't he use it more often? Tetra giggled a little herself.

"Tetra. Come with me," Link said suddenly. Tetra gave him a quizzical look.

"What? What for?"

"Just do it. You are the most difficult female I've ever had the misfortune of knowing. Goddesses." With that said, Link disappeared back into the castle and Tetra followed suit. They met halfway between the room that was separated between the sexes and Link took her by the hand and led her away from the unsuspecting crowd. Only… there was one person who had seen it.

Aryll had chosen the best second hand gown she could find from the princess' wardrobe and made sure she wore her hair as elegantly as she could. She was the stunning maid in yellow. She got a lot of compliments for her looks, but none seemed to matter. She wanted to show Link. She wanted to tell him how she felt before she left. She felt like it was something she needed to do or regret it for the rest of her life. As she looked among the mass of people for his particular face she was surprised to see him in the company of Tetra who looked even more beautiful then she herself did. Finding this to be indeed odd (not Tetra's beauty but her in the company of Link), she followed the oblivious pair to a secret garden Link had led Tetra to. Hiding behind an overgrown rose bush, Aryll watched them.

Tetra's mouth fell in awe of the beauty before her. She remembered planting half of the flowers in the garden way back when she lived in the castle. To see them fully matured and in bloom made Tetra's heart flutter lightly in her chest.

"It's so beautiful…," she choked out. Link smiled.

"It's always been easy on the eyes I guess," he said. Tetra looked at him and poked him in the chest with a delicate, gloved finger.

"Why do you have to be such a fart? Can't you just say it's beautiful or are you incapable of making compliments?" Link touched his chest where she poked it and rubbed like she had inflicted pain upon him.

"Well… you're beautiful," he said. Tetra laughed arrogantly and flipped some hair behind her back.

"I already know that."

"Are you incapable of being gracious for a kind comment? Goddesses know that you rarely get them," Link responded. Tetra sighed and hid behind a large lilac bush. The flowers were a deep royal purple and Link noticed how the flowers complimented her eyes, having the same effect as the gown she wore. They made her eyes shine brightly and brought out their exquisite blue hue. The boy's breath caught in his throat when he saw her look at him with those blue eyes. She smiled softly and said, "I guess I thank ya for the compliment. I know it nearly killed you to say it."

"But… I meant it. You are… beautiful…," Link said. Tetra cocked an eyebrow.

"Uh… well. You should see Zelda. She's… very pink," the pirate said laughing a little at her own joke. Link smiled a genuine smile and Tetra felt her heart flutter.

"Uh… but I wanted to thank you seriously for what you said the other day. I… I think I've figured out what I'm going to do now," the girl said. She came away from the lilacs but not before pulling one of flowers off its stem and twirling it between her thumb and forefinger; she traveled to the chrysanthemums and studied them. Link followed her with his eyes unable to take them off of her.

"What do you want to do?" he asked. The blonde gently stroked one of the snowy white flowers with her middle finger and said, "I'm going to correct my past. I'm going to set things straight and get revenge to all those who've fallen victim to Ganondorf's wrath…" Link's eyes widened.

"Ganondorf?"

"Yes. He ruined my life and I'm gonna kill him and make things right." The determination was evident in her voice and it made Link question his sanity. Had he heard right?

"Really?" Tetra nodded, "You really helped me Link. I'm going to stop running from my past and fight. I can't keep searching for something that I'll never find anyway. So…" She smiled brightly and walked over to him. Link watched her feeling small butterflies dance around in his stomach. As she got closer the butterflies grew. And when she finally took one of his large, masculine hands into both of her delicate ones, his stomach was practically dancing with millions of giant butterflies.

"Thank you. Because of you, I've found my place." Link didn't fully grasp the significance in her words right at that moment in time. He was too far gone in her, in everything about her. They stared at each other in anxious expectation and Link said a little softly, "You're… welcomed…" Tetra nodded a little and sighed. Link took her by the hands and brought her closer to himself, loving the feeling of her body against his own. Tetra's eyes fluttered shut as he dipped his head slightly to catch her lips in a small kiss. Aryll watched the exchange and she was completely broken. When had they gotten so close? She thought that they hated one another with a passion, and yet here they were in their own little world, losing themselves in one another. It was almost too much for Aryll to bear.

Tetra pulled away slightly and muttered, "Link?" He looked at her as she looked back at him with confusion evident in her sweet face. He brushed the back of his hand against her cheek reassuringly and kissed her again, this time it was forceful and more passionate then the last. Tetra moaned and melted in his tight embrace.

The king watched them from his place in the throne room. It was so surreal and yet it was so. Link and that Arett character were kissing right there in front of him and it was the night right before Link was to be married to his own daughter. What a cad! The king growled angrily but it caught in his throat when he saw a flash of bright yellow light coming from the two below him. He looked more intently and gasped when he saw a golden triangle encircle them and shine brightly.

"The… Triforce!"

Tetra pulled away from Link when she saw a flash of light in her eyes. There was a tingling in her body and she completely broke away from him. He looked at her with confusion.

"Tetra?"

"Nooooo! Tetra! I hate you! I hate you!!! How could you?" Both Link and Tetra looked at Aryll who had started crying and revealed her place from behind the rose bush. She had a look a pure hatred on her face and it stung worse then any blow Tetra had ever received.

"Aryll?" Link's eyes widened.

"A… Aryll??" He repeated. No one heard him.

"How could you! I love Link! I loved him before you did! It's not fair!"

"Aryll wait… just let me explain…"

"There's nothing to explain! I hate you!" And with that Aryll ran away. Tetra started after her but was stopped abruptly by a sharp pain in her neck. She groaned and fell to her knees as the world became a drowsy remnant of her dreams.

"Tetra!" Link cried. He kneeled beside her and was hit with the same dart she was.

"Arrest them." Before Link completely blacked out he saw the king standing smugly before him while some of the royal guards proceeded to tie him up. Then there was darkness.

* * *

A/n: YAY! I'm doing good with keeping the updates consistent even though I'm working on two stories at once! Mwahaha! After I update the other story I've got a busy day writing papers, doing math homework and all the rest of that jazz. So, let me know how much you appreciate the updates! And just so you know, this story will be ending soon, there's at least five more chapters and then the epilogue. My goal is to finish this before the new year so when the new year comes, I can work on new stories! Thanks for reading! Hoped you enjoyed:P


	11. Chapter 10:Threat and Safety

Chapter 10: Threat and Safety

Sick and twisted. That was a perfect description of the smile that had inconveniently (for anyone who was misfortunate enough to see it) taken shelter on the face of Ganondorf the evil pirate fiend. Usually smiles contained the pretense of happiness or any other such positive emotion. His smile was only present because he was writhing in malevolent anticipation. His smile was the outcome of his hope in the dubious deeds he was plotting as the coast of Windfall became a small speck on the horizon. He was about to have it at long last. He felt it. The Triforce was his at long last!

Elsewhere, Tetra's crew looked on at the same coast in the horizon. The _Amara II_ had definitely owned up to its reputation as the fastest ship on the Great Sea. Nabooru just hoped that it was enough. Dark, foreboding clouds had begun to form in the once cool firmament, a sign that danger was afoot.

* * *

A leaking pipe dripped somewhere nearby, and the water or whatever liquid leaking through fell incessantly against the cold steel floor, and the noise of it against the steel stirred Tetra from her slumber. She moaned a little and rubbed the back of her neck. The skin was tender and the gentle touch inflicted an undescribable amount of pain. She flinched and laid her hand in her lap. Trying to grasp the whereabouts of her surroundings, she saw that it was a cool and damp cell, probably in the dungeons of the castle. Now the only question was how had she managed to get there? The last thing she remembered was Link… and Aryll. She moaned slightly. Aryll… The poor girl. She had it all wrong! Tetra didn't mean anything by the kiss. It was nothing. She touched her lips. Surely there was nothing to the kiss. It was as hallow as the cell she now resided. Never mind that it was the kiss she'd dreamed of ever since her childhood. The one from the High Knight… the Hero… her arch nemesis. So, he was her foe but… he wasn't all bad. He was actually very romantic… And thanks to him, she now had courage to confront her past. A small smile creased in her lips unconsciously. She was only grateful to him really… So it was a thank you kiss. That was all… right?

Though Tetra was still denying her feelings for a dreadful pirate hunter, she was correct about Aryll, though not so much so in the way that she thought. Oh no. Aryll was indeed wrong but only just because she had wrongly interpreted her feelings of affection for feelings of infatuation. Truly, she loved Link, but only as a sister loves a brother. She sat now in her sanctuary, the dusty old library of the castle lamenting her confused feelings. Her sorrowful tears fell onto the pages of the old text that was opened in her lap. It was the same book that had revealed to her the secret of the two blood lines, but that was all. The young woman couldn't divulge anymore secret knowledge from the forgotten language printed on the page, nor did she care to. She was just comforted from the fact that she had gotten closer to the Triforce's whereabouts and Tetra didn't know anything about it. If Tetra believed that she could steal the only one person that had given Aryll any kind of happiness without suffering, she was about to have a rude awakening. The maiden in gold wiped her eyes and scrutinized the small print in the book with a malevolent smile evident on her sweet face (a paradox unfitting of our distraught heroine if I do say so myself). It was decided, out of smite, pain, and vengeance, but decided nonetheless that she was going to find the Triforce, the one thing that gave Tetra any kind of happiness, and take it for herself. An eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth, the old saying proved to hold extreme significance to her in that one moment. The little pirate was so lost in her pain that she hadn't even noticed the commotion going on outside. If she had looked, she would have seen that Zelda's quests were leaving abruptly and disappointedly. The king ordered Zelda off to bed early and had his men escort Link to the dungeons along with Tetra. The guards kept watch, making sure no soul left or entered the castle that night.

Link was awakened from his induced slumber with a painful blow to his face. Grumbling, he rubbed his offended cheek and focused his blurry vision until he could make out the snide ruler of New Hyrule standing before him. The king frowned a little and punched Link again, this time knocking the wind out of him with a powerful blow to the abdomen. Link doubled over and coughed.

"How dare you? You're already being unfaithful and you haven't even been blessed with my daughter's hand yet!" the king snapped, "How unbecoming of you Link, to go sneaking around with some other maiden on the eve of your wedding day! After all I've done for you! Ungrateful whelp!" The king made to strike Link again, but the boy grabbed his wrist and glared at him coldly, his killer intent evident in his lightless gaze. The king didn't falter but instead pulled himself out of Link's grasp and used the other hand to punch him meaningfully in the jaw. Link's head turned with the force of the blow and he growled.

"Have you nothing to say for yourself? Such as explaining to me the corrupt thinking that led you to commit such a lewd act?" Link didn't answer. For one, he felt he didn't owe the man before him an explanation of why he did it and secondly he honestly didn't know why he did it. Sure, Tetra was gorgeous and he was attracted to her… but lust didn't really seem to explain his actions correctly. It was much deeper. She was an enemy, but then she was a friend because she understood him. She understood him better then he did, or so he felt. And her goals seemed to coincide with his. They lived for the same thing. Revenge. To see Ganondorf die… The king's patience wore thin from Link's silence and he began to pace the room angrily.

"Well, if you aren't going to tell me why you kissed her, at least tell me… tell me who she is to have cast her seductive spell upon you so easily." Link's lips were sealed shut. The king frowned and he stomped his foot childishly.

"Stop being so difficult! I'll have you know, that I already know who she is… No, not the duchess Arett from Lybranna but the mischievous pirate Tetra…" Link's stomach flopped dangerously.

"I bet you're wondering how I know about such a thing, and the answer is quite simple. I didn't trust her the moment she landed on the island. Few come in contact with Tetra and come out safely. I decided to hire a few private eyes to investigate my suspicion, namely I had them look into Arett's existence. Sure enough, they came to me just yesterday and confirmed my apprehensions. No such duchess exists. And neither does her sister, Llyra. And I also noticed that if you switch the letters around in Arett's name it spells Tetra. Of course, you already know all this though don't you? Why else would you have her watched so closely? What I don't understand is why you let her roam about, knowing what a threat she is!" The king shouted. Link closed his eyes. Tetra…

"…She's not as dangerous as you are! You've damned us all with your secret alliance to Ganondorf!" The captive retorted. The king laughed full belly chuckles that sent chills down Link's spine.

"Really? Well, then. You obviously don't know as much as you let on little hero… You see, Ganondorf is only coming on account of the girl. He wants her! Or rather, what she possesses…" Link's eyes widened and he looked at the king in disbelief.

"The… treasure?" He asked. The aristocrat nodded dubiously and a sick grin filled his face.

"Yes Link… The Triforce! I never would have guessed she was the one to possess it, but now that you both confirmed it tonight, it all fits into place perfectly… The missing piece to the puzzle, gone for ten whole years, finally returned… I will finally get it!" The king laughed maniacally and Link just watched trying to make sense of the new information. Tetra was the bearer of the Triforce? Ganondorf wanted Tetra? Ganondorf wanted Tetra! Link's anger blazed and he stood from his crouched position on the chair he'd been sitting in.

"I won't let him harm her! I don't care what good the Triforce is to him or us all!" The king's laughter died to low chuckles until his smile was changed into a stoic expression and he no longer laughed.

"Link, m'boy, are you _that_ naïve? Honestly, do you know nothing of the Triforce's history? Surely, even if you were to protect her, who'd be there to protect you?"

"What… do you mean?"

"Link. Why else did Ganondorf send Outset Island to hell and leave none alive? All but you died. Why, that's what you used to ask me after I had taken you in. The answer is Link, that you too share the same fate as Tetra for you too possess a piece of the Triforce…" Link's jaw dropped and he slumped back into his chair.

"Wh..what?"

"I admit. I feel rather dirty for being in cahoots with a fiend such as he, but how else was I to get you alone Link? As a descendant of the High Knight, you were chosen at birth to continue the age old duty of keeping the Triforce at peace by keeping it out of reach and separate from the other two pieces. And if you had died it would just move onto the next member of your family, such as your little sister. I wanted you to be the sole heir to the Triforce… less of a hassle for me." Link's cold eyes traveled slowly from staring at the steel flooring to meet the taunting eyes of New Hyrule's king. His fist trembled on its own and his teeth clenched threateningly.

"You mean to tell me…"

"Yes. I told Ganondorf to destroy Outset and kill everyone but you. Because… you alone hold the key to returning prosperity to a damned land…" Link's eyes watered and he looked at his fist. The anger was pulsing through his veins like it was apart of his blood, his soul. His heart pumped erratically with its newfound strength in the blind rage that would soon overcome the boy against his will.

"You… after all these years… you… proved to be my greatest enemy… luring me into false security… having me blame pirates for my pain…"

"Yes, yes. I don't deny it any longer. But believe me, I never meant to lure you into a false sense of security all these years. I meant to kill you and extract the Triforce years ago, with my sister dead and out of power, leaving me to the treasure that for so long had been out of my grasps…," Daphnes stated as he slowly stalked around the cool cell as though bored, "But Tetra… Tetra got away… She's not at all whom she seems Link… You see, my sister, Amara, was the previous ruler of New Hyrule. The one who was blessed by the goddesses as protector of the Triforce of Wisdom. I would have killed her myself so that the piece would simply transfer over to me but… not without risking my own life. So, she married and had a daughter… I foolishly believed that she still possessed the piece never once thinking that Tetra had it… Well, of course, Tetra wasn't exactly Tetra back then. That was the nickname Amara had bestowed upon her. Her real name is… Princess Zelda Hyrule XVI." Link's mouth dropped once more.

"What??? Then who have I been engaged to this whole time???"

"Oh, my daughter Marin. I couldn't let the people know that their dear heir to the throne had disappeared one day out of the blue, after all, the people weren't enthusiastic about my temporary leadership then either. So I had Marin pronounced missing, and my daughter simply took Tetra's name while I took my sister's throne. But back to my tale of woe… my mistake was in disregarding the little brat and so when I had arranged the raid of Windfall with Ganondorf, I had him kill the wrong person!! Grah!! How infuriating!! And then Tetra had to go and disappear for ten whole years… Can you believe it? All this time, the pirate fiend has been the true heir to Hyrule's throne and protector of the Triforce! It's almost laughable if it wasn't so pathetic! Don't you agree?" Link's anger had reached its boiling point and filled him to the edges of his soul. He looked at Daphnes with the eyes of a tiger ready for the kill. He stood slowly and Daphnes was oblivious to his gradually approaching figure with his idiotic laughter. He hadn't realized it until it was too late. Link leaped on him and started his deadly onslaught, socking the king repeatedly in the face with deadly force, drawing blood. The king called for the guards and when they arrived they saw the king's battered body crumpled in a pained heap on the floor. They looked around for the perpetrator but were met with silence and the slamming of the cell door. They ran to the bars and proceeded to try and open it but the rusted metal refused to budge.

Link ran through the winding corridors looking for any sign of Tetra, as well as paying close attention to the guards in order to avoid them. His head was buzzing with all the newly revealed information and his body was victim to fatigue. He was still weakened by the substance within the dart. Hiding behind a wall and waiting for some rushing guards to pass by, he prayed that he made it in time to get Tetra safely off the island.

* * *

Aryll finally exited the library and was nearly trampled by a group of herding knights and guards. She watched them disappear down the corridor and huffed angrily.

"You're excused!" She called after them. She turned around and collided with someone.

"Ow!"

"Oh, Miss Llyra! There you are!" The girl blinked confusedly at the woman before her and noticed the distraught look on her face.

"Impa? What is it? What's the matter?" She asked concernedly.

"Oh it's just horrible! The king's really lost it now! He's had Link and Miss Arett locked up in the dungeons!!" Despite being thoroughly pissed with the both of them, Aryll couldn't help but gasp in shock.

"Why? Are they alright??"

"Well, they found the king mauled in Link's cell, and now Link is nowhere to be found. Oh it's so awful! We were all having a good time too…" Impa's voice trembled and tears cascaded down her cheeks in rivers of genuine sorrow. Aryll brought her into a comforting embrace and guided her back into the library. She sat the distressed female down and rubbed her back comfortingly.

"Don't worry Impa… everything will be alright. It must all be a misunderstanding…," the girl offered. Impa nodded and accepted the handkerchief that Aryll offered, gently blowing her nose.

"I sure hope so dear… The skies have been ominous as of late… nothing good to come of it," Impa said slowly. Aryll only smiled meekly and prayed that her superstitions weren't correct. She and Tetra had to leave now!

"Oh… what's this?" Aryll looked at Impa and saw her pick up the old text that Aryll had been futilely trying to interpret. A smile creased in the woman's rosy lips and she stroked the cover lovingly.

"The Royal Family's History Book. Oh my, I haven't seen it forever… not since Queen Amara's death…" Aryll gave her a confused look. Amara?

"Amara?" She repeated. The sheikah nodded.

"Yes. She was the previous ruler of New Hyrule. She died in the raid of Windfall a little over a decade ago…" That was the name of Tetra's mother… and her mother was also deceased.

"Did she have a daughter?" Aryll asked.

"Yes… unfortunately, it is not the girl you know as Zelda. Her daughter disappeared a little while after her mother's death. I think it was too much for that young dear… I'll never forget her though. Such a beautiful girl. Ya know, sometimes I look at Arett and I see an uncanny resemblance to the princess… Possibly the result of wishful thinking, eh dear?" Aryll nodded grimly. It was no coincidence. Tetra was… a princess.

"Are you interested in the history of the Royal Family Llyra? I'm sure this book has proven to be of little assistance to you. Only ones alive that can read this text have long since passed. Amara was the last… I do happen to know a little of the ancient tongue though," Impa said simply.

"… Do you know where the Triforce is?" Aryll asked bluntly. She knew that was strictly confidential information, and as a servant to the Royal Family, Impa was even possibly out of the loop. The nursemaid looked at her for a moment before flipping the book open.

"Oh. I'd forgotten that Amara had translated a few portions of the book… no wonder…"

"So. Do you know?"

"Well… it's an interesting tale really…According to this book the whereabouts of the Triforce lie in the bearers of the pieces, those with either the Royal Family blood or the blood of the High Knights. And… the map that reveals the location of the end of the world…"

"Who's the descendent of the High Knight?"

"Why… Link is dear. And it wasn't just him. He had a little sister once… Oh… her name escapes me at times… oh! Aryll! But she died in the raid of Outset… so it is only him now…" Aryll's mouth dropped. And now, she knew exactly why his face was familiar. Why she felt safe in his arms. Why she loved him.

"Oh my gosh…"

"Llyra? Honey?"

Tetra mumbled a little in her sleep. The cuff around her wrist dug mercilessly into her flesh and the cool damp air begun to affect her negatively, taking its toll on her worn body. Sleep had been her only haven and now it was disturbed with tantalizing nightmares…

She was in a low cut silver gown that flowed like a mystic river on the marble flooring. The sleeves were puffy at the shoulders, but then held tightly onto the contours of her arms. Her hair trailed down her back in long golden tresses and a diamond tiara sat on the top of her head. The diamond earrings weighed heavily on her ear lobes and the diamond necklace she wore glittered like the stars at night and caused her plain triangle necklace to stand out. She opened her eyes to the dream and was overcome with fascination. The ball room. It had been restored to its glory. She looked up at the giant chandelier that hung like a divine ornament made for the goddesses themselves and a feeling of nostalgia overcame her.

_A memory… that was forgotten…_

Tetra jumped

"Who… said that?" She received no answer. Cautiously, Tetra walked over to the large window that overlooked the sea and night sky. Her dress trailed after her, and her jewelry dangled as she walked.

_A melody… A song… and dancing… here…_

She turned around in a rustle of fabric. There was no one. She breathed uneasily and then she gathered her skirts. As she made her way to the exit, a soft tune filled the air. She stopped abruptly. There was no band and yet there was music… The melody overcame her, filling her with its softness.

_Dance…_

Tetra seemed to be in a trance when she turned and saw a man standing in the middle of the room. He was clad in black velvet with a cape draping eerily down his back. His crooked smile was familiar, but Tetra couldn't remember. The man smiled and bowed with gentlemanly courtesy. Tetra took her dress and curtsied. They walked closer to each other. The music seemingly drawing them together. Once they found one another, the man took one of Tetra's delicate hands in his own and placed his other strong, masculine one on her waist. She placed her other hand on his shoulder and slowly they swayed to the beat of the music before they danced the length of the large room, twirling in rhythmic synchronization with the melody's sickening influence.

"You're very good on your feet…," the man remarked as he spun her. Tetra gracefully recovered and then she took his hand again and they continued dancing across the floor.

"…I never knew…" she told. He smiled.

"…I suppose then… that you didn't know…"

"What?" The music picked up tempo. The man took Tetra and spun her again while he pulled away from her, causing her to spin outward before he pulled her back towards himself and carefully ducked her with one arm. With his other hand he slowly caressed her neck down to her collar bone and touched her triangle necklace.

"That…," he said slowly, "I want the power you possess… and to do that… I need your life." He grabbed her throat causing Tetra's eyes to widen in shock and for the first time, she saw him without the drowsiness of a dream. Ganondorf.

"Princess… Zelda Hyrule… now your life as well as the Triforce belong to me!" Tetra gasped. She tried to pry his hand from her throat but was unsuccessful.

"I… don't… even… know… where the Triforce… is!" She gasped. He smiled ferociously and tightened his grip.

"Of course you must! You must remember that night… it was just like this… right here… where she died too…," he said, "You must know… that it was because of her powers… that she died… The powers you now possess!" Tetra's eyes fluttered closed as the last of her oxygen left her body, causing her eye lids to droop with the heaviness of sleep. The music and ballroom were beginning to fade…

"Tetra? Tetra??" The girl awoke slowly and was met with Link's cerulean eyes. He cupped her cheek and she relished his warm touch.

"Oh Link… I…"

"You were having a nightmare."

"Everything here is a nightmare for me…," she said slowly. Link's expression was saddened a smidgeon at the news and he rubbed her cheek with his thumb as a means of comfort.

"I suppose so… it's not everyday that one returns to face the ghosts of his or her past… Tetra…" She searched his face meaningfully.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… I know who you are… Really." The pirate's heart thumped painfully against her chest and she looked away from him. He continued to stroke her cheek affectionately and said, "It's alright Tetra. There's no shame in it. I myself have faced the skeletons in my closet. Daphnes… he and Ganondorf…" Tetra faced him again when she heard the raw pain in his tone. His eyes watered once again but he refused to cry.

"He didn't…"

"He had this set up from the start Tetra. Your mother… my family… It was all part of his plan to get the Triforce!"

"But… Link! What does ruining our lives have to do with the Triforce?" Link seemed hesitant to answer. They sat staring at each other and then a loud ruckus could be heard not too far from where they were. Link grumbled incoherent obscenities and proceeded to break the cuff that bonded Tetra's wrist with a crowbar he'd found during his escape.

"Link! Answer my question!"

"No time! I have to get you out of here before Ganondorf comes!" Link retorted. The cuff snapped and clanked to the floor in a loud ringing of heavy metal. Link pulled Tetra to her feet and hurriedly pulled her along behind him as he hurried out of the cell and maneuvered through the tricky passage ways of the dungeon. Tetra allowed herself to be dragged mercilessly along as she tried to make sense of everything that was happening.

* * *

A/N: YAY! An update! Woot! Hope you all enjoyed! Ain't I so bad? The plot has at last been brought to light! What will happen now? MWAHAHAHA! Only I know and you will have to wait and see! Thanks for reading now please review!


	12. Chapter 11:Hello and Goodbye

Chapter 11: Hello and Goodbye

It wasn't long before the duo made their way out of the basement and found their ways outside. Tetra stopped to inhale a much needed breath.

"Tetra! Come on! There's no time to stop!" Link grabbed her once more and rushed towards the shore where some small boats were latched. He hastily began to untie one such boat and Tetra watched him, feeling her heart sing merrily in her chest.

"Link," she started. The boy kept on with his business but answered, "Yes…?" The girl fiddled with a loose strand of hair and sighed a little as blush tinted her pale cheeks.

"Link, why are you… doing this… for me?" She asked. He stopped wrestling with the rope and met her curious gaze. They just stood looking at one another silently thinking their own thoughts. Then Tetra said, "I mean… I guess what I really wanna know is… uh… we're friends right?" Link smiled his rare smile that made Tetra's heart do a jig and a song within her chest before he nodded gently.

"Yes. And… don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you… I…" Tetra laid her index finger on his mouth to silence him and then she whispered, "Thank you. Link." He nodded again and leaned forward. Tetra closed her eyes and waited for a kiss that wasn't soon to come.

"PIRATES! PIRATES!!" Tetra's eyes opened and she saw that Link had successfully untied the boat. He picked her up and sat her down in it then he pushed it off of the shore. Tetra looked at him longingly.

"Link!" She called. He seemed sorry to let her go and turned away from her retreating boat. Tears brimmed his eyes and his heart felt too heavy for his body. He'd never felt so sad in his life. Not since his family died. He allowed a single tear to fall before he frowned with determination and ran to the panicking people. He didn't look back so he didn't see Tetra crying as well.

"Someone save us!!"

"Where's Link! Link! Help us!!" The boy armed himself with a few of his trusty weapons from the armory before rushing in to do battle with the greatest evil to ever set foot on land.

The pandemonium before him was like a replay of what happened over a decade ago. Running people, Gerudo raising hell, the cries of the dying or those inflicted with pain, and his own heart pounding painfully against his chest. It wasn't going to end the way it had before. He gulped before drawing his sword and rushing to the aid of a poor pedestrian.

* * *

"Your majesty! Your majesty!" The king growled dangerously as the knight's shrill voice provoked the pain in his head. Turning away from the nurse who was addressing the abrasions and other lacerations Link had made on Daphnes's face, the said king looked angrily at the poor soul who stood before him. The knight was covered in blood and shaking within his armor.

"What is it?" Daphnes snapped, "Where's Link?" The knight gulped a little before pointing at the window.

"Do you not hear the screams of anguish of your people?? Ganondorf's wrecking havoc on the island!! Ganondorf is here!!!" The king's surprise was enough to spring him from his seat.

"Wha… what?? Well, what are you doing here soldier??? Get out there and defend me!! Where's Link?? Make sure he doesn't escape!! Make sure he's fighting!! Oh my gosh! Move wench! I need to get to safe grounds!" Pushing the nurse aside, Daphnes quickly pulled on a rope near his throne, which revealed a secret passageway. He ran inside closing it shut behind him. The knight and the nurse exchanged concerned looks before they each ran to find some safe place.

Canons. That was the cause of the loud explosions being heard outside. Aryll ran out of the library and looked out the window in the hallway. The scene before her looked like Armageddon. It was so chaotic, and there was so much destruction that she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Oh no! Llyra! Get away from there!" Impa called. She forcefully pulled Aryll from her place just when a canon came sailing straight through the glass. Both of the women screamed from their surprise and ran quickly into the library, shutting and latching the door behind them.

"What's going on? Why's this happening?" Impa questioned. She breathed heavily and tears fell from her eyes, "Please not again… not again…" There was another loud explosion and the nursemaid broke down in hysterical wails. Aryll wrapped a comforting arm around her while trying to make sense of the current events herself. And as she thought about it, memories hidden in the deep recesses of her brain once again resurfaced. Outset had suffered the same cruel fate. Aryll could still hear the agonized howls of her fellow islanders as their whole way of life came to an abrupt and painful end. She remembered getting separated from Link and her grandma only to be left alone to witness her friends be cut down mercilessly through grizzly slaughter. The scene was forever burned within her mind and her heart. She found refuge in the forest summit atop the highest peak of the island where she cried and cried. Outset was no more…

Tears trailed down her flushed cheeks at the memory, and she pulled away from Impa, finding that her own hope had been shattered by the reality of what was happening. They were under attack by the fiercest pirate to ever sail the Great Sea.

* * *

"Hurry Zelda! Let's leave now!" Her father barked. Zelda, or Marin as was revealed to us in the last chapter, hastily threw her things into her large trunk.

"I'm not leaving without my things!"

"Oh leave it you foolish child!! We can always get you more things! Your life is irreplaceable!" After stating this, the king grabbed his daughter's frail arm and pulled her into the secret tunnel behind her large wardrobe, and then closed the entrance back. Everything was pitch black.

"AH! Father!" After her tearful outburst, the king managed to light a torch. Marin then saw just how disgusting the passageway was with the torch's aid. The tunnel was littered with countless cobwebs that were long since abandoned and it was home to giant rats that had scurried away after the light entered the tunnel. Marin screamed.

"Turn it off! Turn it off! I don't want to see anymore!"

"Nonesense child! Just close your eyes and hold on to me… I'll get us out of here," Daphnes said. Marin held onto her father and cried into his shoulder as he guided them through the tunnel.

"This… was… supposed… to be… my… wedding…d…day!" She stuttered through her tears. The king grumbled angrily.

"I will not have you marrying that rapscallion! And I forbid you to shed a tear! He's treacherous and shall be put to death as soon as he saves us from this calamity." Marin sniffled.

"But… father. Why?"

"It'd be no good to explain it. Just trust me. I'm reserving your seat on the throne of Hyrule!" Marin looked at her father through perplexed, watery eyes as she was having a hard time trying to understand how the calling off of her engagement was going to reserve her seat on the throne. Didn't it work the other way? But she dared not speak of her concerns out loud after she saw the determined look on her father's face.

"Impa… Look at me… There's something I have to say…," Aryll mumbled. The teary nursemaid looked at the girl with small sobs still wracking her body.

"Ye… yes?"

"I… my real name is Aryll and I'm a pirate. I came here trying to find the whereabouts of the Triforce with Tetra, who posed as my sister and… and… we only found out that our coming here was a trap set up by Ganondorf in order to get us- well. Tetra. He's after her and now I know why. The thing that we came searching for… we had all along. And not only that. But now I find out that Link's my brother! My long lost brother! I'm so embarrassed. I thought I loved him… I mean I do. He's my brother! But… well… you understand. Anyway, I can't stay here. I have to go fight because Link and Tetra are in big trouble! I can't lose them Impa. They're all I got." Impa had stopped crying long into the story and sat with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"Wha… what? Link's… dead sister? You're…"

"I know. Well, anyway, be safe Impa. I've got to go help my brother and save Tetra! And please, don't worry anymore." Aryll said before standing with determination. She left the library and hurried to the aid of her brother with Impa watching in sheer bewilderment.

"Grah!" Another whimper of a dying Gerudo, falling to her fate by Link's cold steel. The boy huffed and puffed from his exhaustion but knew he couldn't stop. He looked at Pompy and Vera who were crouched against a wall and bawling their eyes dry. They'd been like that since the raid had started.

"Please… you… two… go… find a safe place…," Link ordered. Vera helped Pompy up and they rushed off.

"Bless you Link! Bless you!" She called. Link watched after them and dared to breathe a sigh of relief, which was a mistake. It was too sudden the way it happened. He heard a whistling in the air and then felt a sharp pain between his shoulder blades. He doubled over and cried in agony before turning to face his opponent. A Gerudo smiled at him coyly while she lifted her cross bow launcher determined to put an end to her enemy. Link's eyes narrowed dangerously and he straightened up despite the pain in his back and then he tried the ever more excruciatingly painful task of ignoring the arrow head against his spine. He lifted his sword to prepare himself for combat.

"Foolish little Hylean. The next one will pierce your heart," she said. Link smirked egging her on with a motion of his hands. Obliging the young man, she shot another arrow and Link ducked dodging it. Then he rushed at her at such a speed her eyes couldn't follow. She looked around frantically but could see nothing in the foggy haze of the slowly creeping dawn.

"I'm right here." His voice was so cold and devoid of emotion. But… she did detect a slight hint of amusement before he sent her to the beyond with a stab through her torso. It was definitely not a pleasant way to go. Link watched his enemy crumpled into a dead heap at his feet before he pulled his blood stained blade from her abdomen. Gasping he leaned against the wall that Pompy and Vera had been lying against earlier and held his shoulder. The wound was oozing with blood and the cool liquid slowly but surely stained his tunic. His vision blurred slightly.

"I… It's not over yet…," he grumbled. The metallic substance entered his mouth and he coughed before he slowly fell to the ground on his front side.

"Link!! Link!!!" He fought the deep slumber that was gradually calling him into the abyss so he had time enough to see Aryll's delicate figure rushing towards him. He smiled.

"Oh Link! Link!" She cried, dropping onto her knees in order to observe his wounds more closely. He winced even though her touch was gentle.

"Llyra…"

"Link. Oh please don't die! Don't leave me! Not after we've just been reunited! Oh please… I couldn't bare it!" Link's heavy eyelids drooped more than necessary as he tried to narrow his eyes in a curious gaze.

"Reunited…," he muttered. Aryll nodded furiously.

"Yes Link! It's me! Aryll!" His heart skipped a beat, which he hoped was from the good news and not too much blood loss. He opened his eyes more fully, and willed the blurry vision to clear up in order to get a good look at her face.

"Aryll…," he repeated. She nodded and smiled through the tears that had begun to steadily fill her eyes.

"Yes. I just found out yesterday, but I think I've always known… even if I had mistaken my sisterly affection for you as a romantic love…," she explained, "Oh Link!" Link groaned and focused his balance on one arm in order to cup her cheek with the other hand.

"Aryll… I think I've always known too… Yesterday… I thought I was mistaken when I heard Tetra call you by that name… but now… I know… You've gotten so big…," he commented. Aryll laughed and sniffled at the same time. She caressed her brother's coarse hand and cried. Link pulled her into a loose embrace feeling his own tears form. It was a beautiful and rare moment among the disorder that had plagued the once peaceful island of Windfall.

"Aryll… Tetra…," Link muttered with a hoarse voice. Aryll pulled away and looked at him.

"Yes? What about Tetra?"

"…She's safe. I got her off the island…," he answered, "I feel… so… light."

"Link! Link!!"

"Stop! You… you got to get off the island now. Hurry before it's too late," he ordered.

"B-but… You're hurt! Who's going to finish the fight!?"

"… I'll finish it. I'm not dead yet…"

"But you can't even stand! Link!" Link sighed and groaned a little as he used as much of his remaining strength that he could muster in order to get up. He stood on wobbly legs but stood nonetheless.

"Now… go!" He snapped. Aryll got up and helped him balance.

"But you… you're the one who carries the piece of the Triforce!"

"Not for much longer… if I die… it'll be passed on to you…," he said, "The hope is in you now Aryll…"

"Link! Don't talk like that! I won't lose you!"

"Aryll…"

* * *

The crew aboard the _AmaRa II_ was met with a despairing sight as they docked at the shore of Windfall. The once glorious island had become a battle ground as the islanders tried in vain to fend for their lives and the Gerudo raised havoc. Nabooru could barely see through the thick smoke and fog that clouded the once clean island air.

"We're too late… Ganondorf's here already," she mumbled.

"No! We have to hurry and save the Captain!" Saria cried. She jumped from the ship armed with merely a dagger and the rest of her friends followed suit arming themselves with weapons. Nabooru grumbled and followed after them.

Screams of the steadily oppressed rang out through the air and it put a sickening feeling in the pit of the temporary Captain's gut. Not only that, but the weather was so highly unusual and foreboding that Nabooru doubted Tetra was even still alive. She walked on, still watching for any sign of her comrades. Then she saw her crouched over a battle worn body that had an arrow protruding from its back. She cringed slightly and ran to Aryll's aid.

"Aryll! Is it really you??" Nabooru called without holding back the ecstasy from her tone. Aryll looked at her and a bright smile filled her face.

"Nabooru!"

"Oh my goddesses! What's happened? Are you hurt?"

"No."

"Well, come on! We're leaving this hellhole!"

"… I'm not leaving."

"WHAT?"

"…I'm not leaving my brother," Aryll stated firmly. Nabooru looked at the limp form within the blonde's protective embrace and gasped.

"Link the Pirate Hunter?? Are you crazy??"

"He's my brother Nabooru. I…"

"Bring him with you! You gotta get off of this island now!"

"We can't take him onto open waters in this condition! He'd die! Besides… he wouldn't want to go… He's got to save these people…," Aryll said lowly, "But… Tetra. You've got to get Tetra as far from here as possible! She's the other bearer of the Triforce! If Ganondorf manages to get both of them together, he'll revive the powers of the Triforce and it'll be the end of our world as we know it! Please, go save Tetra!" Nabooru scratched her head with confusion written on her face.

"Well… where is she?"

"She's out on the Sea somewhere. Link managed to evacuate her before Ganondorf raided the island. Get her as far as possible." Nabooru stood hesitantly.

"What will I tell the others? They've been so worried about the both of you…"

"Tell 'em… tell 'em that you didn't find me… and go get Tetra. I can't be with you guys anymore… now that I've found…" Tears filled Nabooru's eyes and she nodded her understanding. Both of them stood looking at one another sadly, each without the courage to find the right words to say at such a moment.

"… Thanks… Nabooru…," Aryll said finally.

"Yea… Good luck kid. I wish you the best…," Nabooru managed, "I'll find Tetra. Don't worry."

"I trust you. Bye…"

"Good bye… Aryll." Nabooru turned and ran off into the fog and Aryll stared out at it, wishing she could get a final glimpse at the life she was had once known, and the people who made it wonderful.

* * *

A/N: I feel like this chapter was a little rushed. So if it's confusing just PM me and I'll try to explain... if too many PM me, I'll take it down and edit it. Hope you enjoyed you lucky readers! Two updates in one day. Another thing, this story will be ending in three more chapters.. unfortunately:( But do not fret! I promise a happy ending!


	13. Chapter 12:Free Will and Destiny

Chapter 12: Free Will and Destiny

The tides carried the small boat on an unknown path and Tetra felt as though she was floating while she stared at the bright, blue sky. Streaks in her soiled face, remnants of the tears that she'd been crying, stained her flushed cheeks, and she no longer possessed enough tears to cry. The wind was biting at her murderously and the girl simply balled up even more in an attempt to fight the chill. It didn't help that her fire had been doused, so she no longer possessed the kind of warmth that she needed. She was frozen to her soul…

How do you escape from the haunting memories of your past that have come back to plague you? How far could you run before you left it all behind? Who'd come to rid you of that immense pain? Tetra shivered slightly, her body's intervention to find some warmth. Being at sea, becoming a pirate had tucked her past away, turning it into vague memories hidden in the deep recesses of her mind. Worst of all, it turned her into a vicious coward. Her heart was numb, her mind circling around the boy who'd risked his life to save hers, the one that made her want to correct the past she'd left behind. She also thought of Aryll, the sweet soul who'd been with her through thick and thin. The guilt was suffocating her. Aryll hated her and was left back on the island in harm's way… She was so worried about them and hated herself. How had she once again managed to flee her past? She should have stayed and fought! Whining a little in her throat, she traced the outline of her necklace, feeling the need to find strength in something… Anything. She also prayed that Link and Aryll were alright.

Time seemed unmoving, as though waiting patiently for some type of intervention as the girl floated about in the blue green water. Tetra was frozen in place, also waiting. And waiting… and waiting… A seagull flew overhead, its wings silver from the sun's rays glistening on the feather's reflective surface. She closed her eyes. So alone was this broken soul. Where would she go to? Where could she go to? Was she doomed to wallow in the loneliness of the sea she'd once found refuge in? Had she no other purpose than that poor fate? A shadow blocked out the light that was trying to bore through her eyelids. For a moment she believed that she had finally fallen victim to the nothingness, but when she opened her eyes the despairing female was met with the face of her lookout.

"Medli!"

"Cap'n! You're alright!" The bird girl swooped down and landed in the boat, causing it to sway. Tetra couldn't contain the burst of happiness that had exploded from her heart at seeing Medli. She took the girl into her arms, hugging her tightly, afraid to let go. Medli hugged her back, being the more emotionally inclined one of the two.

"Oh! We all thought you were dead! We looked on Windfall and didn't find you or Aryll… What's worse, the pirate fiend Ganondorf…" Tetra pulled away and looked at Medli sadly.

"What? You couldn't find Aryll?"

"No Cap'n… we most gave up hope for finding you alive but Nabooru wouldn't have none of it and here we all are now and you're alive!" Tetra felt her heart drop down into the bowels of her stomach.

"Aryll…," she mumbled absentmindedly.

"Cap'n!" Nabooru called as she swung a ladder over the side of the ship that had just appeared as the bright hope in her despair, "Climb aboard! We've got to get you as far from Windfall as possible!" Tetra obeyed and climbed the rope ladder easily. Once onboard the ship, she was bombarded with the ecstatic embraces of her comrades. Her warmth revitalized and she returned their embraces eagerly. Malon steered the ship towards Dragon Roost, a good ten miles from Windfall.

Tetra never thought she'd be so glum to be entering her captain's quarters. But she was. It wasn't her room though it was done up in a similar fashion. The whole ship wasn't hers. It was new. Tetra traced her fingers along the rough fabric of her cot and snickered. This was the only home she'd known and now it was alien to her. She glanced at the map that adorned the plain wall, her mother's map. She reached for it, finding it to be the only thing within the entire room that was actually hers and would be hers until the day she died. She stroked it and sighed.

"Who am I now?" The question that had plagued her mind since her escape from Windfall had fallen from her chapped lips before she could catch it. It was such a dilemma. She'd been a princess, she'd been a pirate. But now she seemed neither. Her crew was happy to have her back, but she wasn't truly excited to be back, nor did she care to be in charge of the new vessel that was her outlet to travel the sea to her heart's content, her freedom. She could gather all the pieces of herself but would only be able to create an abstract collage, for she didn't know the proper places to fit the pieces. She'd changed from her extravagant ball gown, to her old pirate rags and they didn't seem to fit her quite like they used to. The gown wasn't appealing either; it was like a ruby in a coal mine. Frowning angrily, Tetra growled and slammed her fist into the wall of her room. Who was this broken soul?

"Is the captain alright? Think she don't like the ship too much?" Saria asked. Nabooru shrugged, unable to offer any reason for their captain's depression. The ship was gorgeous, that couldn't be the reason. Tetra was all too happy to see them all when they'd first rescued her, but now she seemed…

"I'll go see what's the matter. You keep Malon on track. I'll be back," the Gerudo told. The emerald eye girl nodded slowly and went away. Nabooru gulped nervously before knocking uncertainly on Tetra's cabin's door.

"What?" Came the irate reply.

"It's Nabooru, I was wanting to talk with ya cap'n…," she said earnestly. There was silence and then rummaging about inside the room. Tetra opened the door and looked at her friend glumly.

"Cap'n…"

"I don't wanna be bothered right now. Tell me when we get to Dragon Roost. Okay?" The blonde said slowly. She refused to meet Nabooru's golden eyes. Nabooru didn't miss the raging storm of doubt and disjunction within her eyes however, but decided to let her be.

"Yes cap'n."

Back on Windfall…

"Link? Link?" The boy stirred slightly but his eyes refused to open. "Link don't die…" The voice was pleading, Link noticed, and he wanted to reach out to comfort the person, but his body was numb with pain.

"Everyone's dying Link… don't go… I'm so scared…" A tear dropped onto his pale cheek and he felt his eyes open slowly. The figure that stood above him looked like an angelic being shining in its own brilliance. Her face was saddened and more tears fell. For a moment he had thought himself to have died and gone to the next world. But when Link opened his eye more fully, he saw that it was his sister. The sun's light was surrounding her, giving her a supernatural appeal. He reached for her, but his arm shook and fell limply back at his side.

"Don't cry… Aryll… don't cry…"

"Link? You're awake! Oh Link! It's horrible! Ganondorf's taken over the island! Everyone's either been taken prisoner, evacuated, or dead… I just did manage to hide us inside this little cove… I'm so scared… You've been getting worse and…" His younger sister's voice cracked and more tears spilled from her brown eyes. She covered her face in her hands and continued to cry. Link moaned.

"Tetra… Tetra's… alright?" Aryll nodded her head slowly.

"It's alright Aryll… it's okay now… I'm awake… I'm up now…," the pirate hunter soothed. Aryll's sobs lightened until they were faint sniffles. Link was angered. There's no telling what Aryll had witnessed while he was out. Nothing good to have put her in such a state of hysterics. If only he hadn't let his guard down!

"Grah!! Damn it!" He cursed. Aryll peeked through her fingers to see her brother struggle to sit up.

"Link…!"

"I can't let things end this way! It's not over yet! I'm not through…" He managed to sit up against the cool dirt wall of the cavern and breathed deep breaths.

"Link…"

"Aryll. There's still hope… Pull this arrow from my back… But before you do, go get some red potion… from the Chu guy… if he isn't dead yet… But if he is, there should be some stashed away nearby… in an old chest outside the bomb shop. Don't worry. I'll be fine and no one will harm you as long as I'm here… Now go." Aryll seemed hesitant, but she stood from her spot and went off to do her brother's bidding.

The island was a wreck. The buildings were scorched if they weren't burned downed or destroyed. Aryll shivered involuntarily and ran towards the ransacked building that used to be the bomb shop hoping no one would catch sight of her. The chest was where Link said it would be and when she opened it, she found a mixture of blue and red potions. She took as many bottles as she could carry and ran back to her brother hidden away in the secret cavern.

Healing battle wounds was a messy and tedious business. Aryll felt sorry for her brother. With no anesthetics, he had to endure the pain of the arrow being pulled through layers of his flesh, ripping each one gracelessly as it went. Luckily, after two bottles of red potion, the pain subsided and the flesh had already began to close. The only remnant of an arrow ever being present was the enormous amount of the crimson red substance that was drawn from the wound and stained the large of his back. Link was up and standing an hour after the whole ordeal and Aryll felt foolish for wasting so much time crying about it.

"Now… listen to me Aryll… I want you to get off this island now, while you still have the chance. I'll handle Ganondorf," he said. Aryll's mouth widened in surprise and she shook her head defiantly.

"Alone? Are you suicidal? I'm not leaving you!" She cried.

"Aryll it isn't debatable! I want you gone! I can handle this…"

"Sure you can, and you fixed that arrow wound by yourself too huh? No. I'm not leaving. We're a team! I won't leave you for dead again!"

"But Aryll… I already lost you once! I'm not going to lose you again! Especially if I could help it!" The two siblings stood glaring angrily at one another for a few minutes before Aryll turned away, crossing her arms. Link rubbed a hand through his hair, sighing in exasperation.

"… I'm not a defenseless child anymore Link… I've lived a rough enough life. I'm fully capable of handling myself."

"… I've no doubt about that Aryll, but if he gets his hands on the both of us then Hyrule has no future. With one of us still alive, there's hope…" The girl's heart beat increased and she looked at her brother with sorrowful eyes.

"I'm the protector of the Triforce, it's my destiny… I was born with this obligation Aryll. So I'm trying to take the proper precautions in order to ensure that it stays out of the hands of the wrong person."

"You'd… throw your life away… just to protect some treasure?? No Link! I won't let you! No! We just found each other and you're telling me to let you go!! I won't!! I won't do it!!"

"Aryll…" Link pulled her into a tight embrace and she struggled against him in an attempt to break free, but he wouldn't let her go and so she settled for hugging him back and crying into his shoulder pathetically.

"Aryll… It seems as though… I'll never be happy until this whole thing is put to rest… Our island's destruction… the destruction of our lives… It was no accident Aryll. For years I believed that pirates were the greatest evil in the world only to find… that it was one man's selfish desire that sent the whole world to hell. His desire for this… this thing I possess! Well, I've made a decision. I won't let him have it. I will protect it with my life and in doing so, I'll be protecting all the ones that I care for as well as avenging all those who were lost to Daphnes's madness…" Aryll tightened her grip on her brother and cried harder.

"… But… it isn't fair! You didn't ask for this!! We didn't ask for this!!! … Now… you're being taken away again… It isn't fair!!" Link felt his heart break at hearing his sister's muffled response and he tried to take her pain away by squeezing her to himself.

"Aryll… I have to do this… For them… for you…"

"You don't have to fight alone! Let me help you!! Please?? Please don't tell me to say good-bye again!! I won't do it!!"

"You're still so much like a child… But I can't let you risk your life needlessly. This is my fight and my fight alone… Try to understand… if things could be different… Aryll. I have to do this. There is no going back."

"No!!! No…!"

"I'm sorry… Aryll…" He took his hand and chopped her in the back of the neck causing her to black out and go limp within his arms. Link cried and hugged her some more before laying her gently on the ground. He stroked her soft cheek affectionately before pulling out the locket he'd kept close to his heart for so many years, and placing it within her hand, balling her delicate fingers around it. Grabbing his weapons he left his sanctuary to face his destiny…

Dragon Roost was such a party island. Next to Windfall, it was the second best island in the Great Sea (now first since Windfall was destroyed). It was only such a success because it was running an independent mailing service that was used throughout New Hyrule and the economy was steady. Not only that, but the Rito's were a highly respected culture that had survived and retained their independence over the calamity and depression that had destroyed New Hyrule. Now it was even more enjoyable because the Rito were celebrating their great Guardian Valoo as he had predicted a year of peace and prosperity for them. Tetra walked among the peace loving Rito in a drunken stupor until she finally settled down on a blanket on the beach. The liquor within the bottle danced about with her sluggish movements and called to her temptingly. Tetra lifted the bottle to her lips and let the foul liquid travel down her esophagus. It soothed the plaguing demons within her mind, allowing her a split instant of relief. She sighed contently and lay down to watch the clouds pass her by, looking down upon her. Her mind wandered from her drunkenness and explored the vastness of space like the wandering clouds. Link… Aryll… Ganondorf… Link… Aryll… Triforce… Link… Aryll… Tetra closed her eyes and cried. Truly, liquor was used as an escape device to help tormented souls find peace outside the realm of reality, but in rare cases it only made matters worse. Tetra continued to sob and her crew all watched her with heavy hearts.

"Cap'n…," Saria muttered.

"A lost soul…" The crew looked to the Rito Chieftain, and saw his grim expression as he watched Tetra. They returned their attention to her as well.

"Isn't there anyway we can help?"

"Usually lost souls need to find their own way… Don't worry. Within her burns the fire of life. Her soul is a strong one… She will find her way." Somehow the Chieftain's words were comfortingly reassuring enough that no one questioned him.

That night, Tetra dreamed of a supreme being visiting her.

"Princess… why are you so sad?" Tetra was in someplace she didn't know, but it was peaceful and serene. It was a meadow the stretched as far as the eye could see and composed of a variety of wildflowers.

"I… don't know… I don't know who I am anymore or what my purpose is… I'm so lost…," Tetra responded. A hand laid itself on her shoulder comfortingly.

"You know who you are. Don't be afraid to embrace your destiny Princess. New Hyrule's future is reliant on your bravery. You've more power then you know… trust it. Don't run anymore. You must return to Windfall and face your destiny. Protect the Triforce."

"… Even if I do that… what then? I'll be expected to assume the throne I imagine… How could I? After all the evil I've done? I don't want to worry anymore… I just want to be happy… I don't want anyone to be hurt anymore…"

"Then fight for want you want Princess. Don't leave your people to suffer. Take this, Din's pearl, and hurry back to Windfall." Tetra's woman companion placed a red orb within Tetra's awaiting hands.

"And do not fear."

Tetra awoke with a start and looked at her hand. The red orb was there. It glowed in its own magnificence and possessed an air of magnanimosity that inspired Tetra to get up from her place. Inside was a fire that burned perpetually.

"My destiny...," she mumbled, then smiling, "Get up everyone! I have to go back! We're going back to Windfall!"

* * *

A/N: Omg! An update! I know its a little late... a lot late... but it's here now and I would appreciate some reviews plz! I can't believe it's gonna end soon... Wah:( Or hurry in my case because I would actually accomplish something! Yes!


	14. Chapter 13:Life and Death

Chapter 13: Life and Death

Light and Darkness. Good and Evil. Beginning and End. They are all elements which coexist within the same realm of being. Complete opposites, yet one cannot exist without the other. In other words, they are two sides of the same coin.

The construction of Hyrule has its foundations firmly planted in this understanding of balance. Courage, Wisdom, and Power, the three sides of the triangle, are the symbolic representation of this understanding, an understanding that Ganondorf the Evil Pirate King seriously lacks and perhaps undermines. This ignorance on his part will be his ultimate undoing. Of course when that undoing would actually be, poor King Daphnes couldn't say for sure.

He and Marin had worked their ways through the twisting and turning underground tunnels of the castle only to find the island in complete havoc. The surviving islanders had been taken hostage, used as entertainment for the trifling Gerudo wenches. The king watched on, in the shadows of his own castle's walls, as all he worked to protect became ruin as the Gerudo dismantled the distinguished society by its very foundations. Anger coursed through Daphnes' veins but it was quickly replaced with guilt. Had he not murdered his own flesh and blood, things would still be at peace. She would still be alive to save them all. And he would never have been king. The balance would have been retained.

He frowned. Damn the balance. The balance was unfair. Amara would have been queen and then Tetra after her. He and his descendants would be left with nothing, nothing but their blood ties to royalty, which placed them higher on the ladder of mobility than most; however, those blood ties weren't enough to make them the greatest. So what if it was selfish? The balance was selfish as well. Leave him with nothing while Amara got everything. Why couldn't Marin be the princess? Why was it fair that Tetra be the princess just because her mother was queen? We don't get to choose our families. She was princess by sheer dumb luck. Damn balance. Damn destiny.

As Daphnes struggled with his inner turmoil, Marin was struggling to comprehend what she was seeing. All the destruction, murder, and dishonor of her people went way above the princess's head. Crystalline tears streamed down from her eyes and she, in a daze, fell to the ground shaking her head. This was a wake-up call to her. And she didn't want to be awakened from the dream.

"Ahhhhhh! Why?? Why??" Her shrill voice was loud enough to wake Daphnes from his thoughts as well as give away their position. A dozen red haired females were upon them before Daphnes had time to tell his daughter to shut-up. Forcefully, the father and daughter were pinned to the ground that was still fresh with the blood of the innocent. Marin didn't struggle as they bound her wrists together with rope that dug into her tender flesh. She didn't seem to be aware that she was in any imminent danger. Her eyes were glossed over with tears and the scene of the end of her world was still fresh in her mind. Daphnes watched his daughter and a pain tugged at his heart.

"Marin! Marin! Don't worry Marin, they can't hurt us! I'm still the king! Everything will be fine. Marin… Marin!" His daughter was hefted up on her legs and guided back to the castle.

"Don't you dare hurt her! Don't you touch her! Let go of me! Marin!!" The king's calls fell on deaf ears as he was too led back to the castle he thought he had escaped from. The islanders watched and a slight gratefulness fell upon them as macabre thoughts entered their minds: _"Good riddance! Maybe they will be sufficed with his blood and leave us in peace!", "Serves him right, getting us into this mess…", "Well I'm glad he didn't escape. That's not fair to the other people who had to fall to the pirates' wrath."_

Link watched as Daphnes and Marin were taken to the castle bound at the wrist and guided with a sharp javelin pointed into the crooks of their backs. He gathered his things and decided to follow in hopes of being led to Ganondorf.

"Here's the plan ladies… I'm going to need some of you to help free the captured islanders and a few of you to help the wounded… I'm going to go after Link and Aryll. Hopefully Ganondorf hasn't killed them…," Tetra explained. Her crew listened intently as she got into further detail of her plan. As the female captain spoke, she couldn't help but be grateful to her crew for sticking by her. It wasn't even their fight, and yet, here they were supporting her. If she ever regained her title as princess, she'd make sure they were honored for their work. Though, making it through this fight alive was the least likely thing to happen. Shaking her head, Tetra rubbed the red orb in her satchel. The goddesses themselves were on her side, so she couldn't afford negative thoughts like that to seep into her mind. The disoriented island appeared on the horizon and Tetra grinned. It was pay back time.

On Windfall…

"So, tell me old friend. Were you planning on leaving before greeting me, or introducing me to your lovely daughter?" Ganondorf cackled malevolently and rubbed a coarse finger under Marin's chin. The girl cringed and silent tears rolled down her cheeks, and Daphnes watched unable to act on the ravenous emotions coursing through his body because one of Ganondorf's minions held him at bay. Instead of appeasing Ganondorf with an answer the king settled for spitting at the usurper's feet. Another chuckle.

"Oh Daphnes. You brought this on yourself you know. If only you hadn't tried to keep the treasure to yourself. But alas, the greedy ass king hires a killer and keeps the goods for himself. Tell me now, old friend, how does it feel to lose everything?" Daphnes still remained silent, but his eyes looked to the helpless form of his daughter. She met his gaze. The malicious pirate looked back and forth between the two and then pulled Marin into a terrifyingly tight grip with a knife across her throat.

"Marin!"

"Perhaps you can't answer that because you haven't quite lost everything yet…"

"Ganondorf! Don't hurt my daughter! I'll do anything! _Anything_!" Daphnes kneeled to the cobbled ground and bowed lowly before the Gerudo male. Ganondorf frowned a little and pushed the knife into her flesh, drawing the tiniest amount of crimson blood to fall. She shrieked and Daphnes quaked with fear for his daughter. His anguish was exemplified in his heartbreaking outcry, "Please! I'm yours Ganondorf! Don't hurt my daughter!!"

"Good. Good. Now then let's get right to the chase. You know as well as I that the pieces must all be assembled in the Tower of the Gods. The thing is, I'm lacking the map which holds its location. But you have it. Don't you?" Daphnes nodded vehemently.

"Actually, my sister possessed the map. It has long since disappeared. But not to worry, the location is directly south of here. Now please, since I've told you, release my daughter." There was a tense noiselessness in the air as Ganondorf seemingly considered Daphnes' proposal. A smirk grew on the mad pirate's face.

"I suppose you'll be wanting me to leave next, taking all my whores with me. You're not in a position to order anyone around. Especially a soon to be god!" The color drained from the king's face.

"I… I… I wasn't trying…. to… I… just thought…"

"Wrong Daphnes. You thought wrong. I never agreed to let her go had you told me the location of the temple. Oh no. It's about time I paid you back for before. Say good-bye to your daughter!"

"NO!!"

"Daddy!" Ganondorf's blade sliced clear through… the air. Shocked gasps filled the room, but Ganondorf simply shrugged.

"I thought that might get you to come out. I must thank-you because you've saved me the trouble of looking for you," the nefarious pirate stated. His devilish red eyes looked to Link, who stood a few feet away with Marin. Link's cold eyes narrowed threateningly and he slowly put Marin down.

"Link!?" The king gasped, "You've some nerve showing face here!" Link ignored him and continued to glare coldly at his enemy. His hatred was radiating off him like heat radiates from the sun. His wrath was fresh and heavy like fully ripened grapes too heavy for the vine. Drawing his sword in a dangerously threatening, slow motion, Link growled out, "Likewise. I've waited a long time to find you…" Ganondorf drew his own sword then and scoffed at the young boy's irreverence.

"Don't be too hasty boy. You might do something you'll regret." During this time, Daphnes had managed to break free from his Gerudo captor's grasp and had joined his daughter's side. Ganondorf's eyebrows furrowed in anger.

"Besides, my beef isn't with you just yet boy…" No one saw what was coming next. Link's trained eyes had caught Ganondorf's fast approaching form, but Link's body couldn't react fast enough. With one deadly stab, Ganondorf had managed to plunge his sword through both the king and his daughter. Link's eyes widened in surprise as Ganondorf slowly pulled his weapon out of them, leaving them to collapse onto one another in a lifeless heap.

"Heheheheheheheh. Now that that's taken care of," Ganondorf looked back at Link with eyes reflecting the madness with his soul, "You're next."

Meanwhile….

Aryll awoke abruptly having heard something. She sat up, her head throbbing with pain, and noticed her tightly clenched fist. Opening her closed hand, she found her brother's gleaming locket. Tears formed in her eyes and she growled angrily. But she had no time to vent her anger for her brother's actions, she heard the noise again. It sounded like footsteps. Aryll's hand unconsciously traveled to the dagger at her side and she waited until the intruder was within range before she turned around with deadly intent. The person managed to grab Aryll's wrist just in time and twist her hand free of the weapon.

"Aryll! It's me!" The brown eyed girl gasped and looked at her attacker. Tetra smiled back at her uncertainly.

"I can't imagine what you've been through to put ya in such a state of high alert, but I'm here to fix it." Aryll just stared at her friend and captain speechlessly for a moment as though she was soaking in the fact that Tetra was really standing there.

"Tetra…," she mumbled. Tetra rubbed a hand through her hair and grinned self consciously.

"Yea… And. I'm sorry… I didn't mean to steal your guy or anything… I don't really like him for real. It's sorta complicated actually. Ya see, he kissed me and I dunno how I should've reacted but I settled for kissing him back since it seemed appropriate an' all but ya know, he's all yours if ya want 'em because goddesses know I sure an' hell don-''

"He's my brother Tetra," Aryll interrupted. Tetra paused in mid-sentence with her mouth still wide opened and her blue eyes large with sudden realization.

"Huh?"

"He's my brother… Yea. I'm sorry. I'd confused my sibling affection for a romantic love. Silly me…"

"Oh… Ok… Well then. There it is."

"Yep. There it is."

"Uh huh." Silence.

"Tetra. He's in trouble. He went to face Ganondorf alone. I tried to go with him but he said some ol' bull stuff about it being his destiny or whatever and if he died it'd be up to me to protect the Triforce. I don't want to do it! I don't want Link to die!" The tears Aryll had been holding back had now fallen freely. Tetra watched her for a moment and felt her own heart begin to ache with worry.

"Well… don't just stand there blubbering! I'm here now! We can save him together!" The sobbing girl looked at Tetra's reassuring smile and nodded in agreement.

"Let's go!"

"I'm surprised. You really do disappoint me boy. All these years wasted on displacing your anger for me on unworthy scum and now you can't even lay a scratch on the true object your hatred is directed towards. You're worthless!" A large fist collided with Link's left eye and his head reeled back. Ganondorf grabbed the scruff of his collar and followed his punch with a rib crushing knee to the gut. Spit flew from Link's mouth as he gasped for the air that had evacuated his lungs from the attack. Ganondorf brought Link's face closer to his before throwing the boy to the hard ground like a rag doll. Link rolled limply and laid on his back as he tried to catch his lost breath.

"Hmph. You aren't worthy of the sacred relic piece you possess. I'll gladly extract it from you as soon as Koume and Kotake get the portal ready and we teleport to the Tower of the Gods." Link tried to get up but his shaky arms gave away from underneath him. Screaming angrily, Ganonodorf ran over to Link's form and kicked him in the side. The boy once again rolled over, grunting in pain as he did so and Ganondorf flicked his nose before putting his foot on Link's stomach. The pirate looked down at the boy and said, "No wonder everyone associated with you dies. You're a walking pile of worthless shit. You couldn't protect your family or your home. Nor could you protect this island or the king and his daughter. Hehhehhehheh. You won't even be able to save your little girlfriend when she comes busting in here to save your ass." Link's eyes shot open and he looked at Ganondorf who grinned.

"Yes. I know of your affection for that skank pirate wench. I know of your lust for the true heiress of Hyrule's throne, the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom. And I used it to my advantage. You may have thought that you had saved her by guiding her away but there's no way she would leave her lover to perish while she remained unscathed. It is the folly of this silly human emotion that will send both of you to your-'' The cruel assailant had been subdued when Link forcefully interrupted the evil king's monologue by stabbing Ganondorf with his own sword. Wheezing heavily as the blood oozed from the newly torn wound, Ganondorf backed away. He looked at his stomach in disbelief. While he was still coming to grasp the fact that Link had inflicted severe damage to his body, Link went in for another blow, this time he used his sword to pierce Ganondorf's other side, which he did repeatedly. The victim of the pirate hunter's wrath was soon on his knees soaked in his own blood and he looked at Link as Link put his sword under Ganondorf's chin.

"I am not worthless. I let you hit me so I could know the pain you had inflicted on all the innocents you murdered. You twisted son of a bitch!" He slashed Ganondorf's right cheek.

"That was for my family and my home." He cut him again on his left cheek.

"That was for everyone you hurt here and anywhere else." Link aimed at Ganondorf's heart.

"This. This is for me and Tetra." What should have been a dramatic victory for the Hero's descendant was interrupted. Ganondorf stared into Link's determined and murderous eyes before laughing manically. Link frowned slightly at his enemy's befuddling behavior.

"I never knew someone who was so happy to die."

"And I never knew someone as foolish as you! You've got gull. A lot of gull, but not enough. It ends now." Before Link could catch on to Ganondorf's meaning, he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder that zipped through the rest of his body. He screamed but was cut short when a force shot through his heart. First he felt the heat of the magical essence used to subdue him, but then he felt extremely cold, like ice. He fell to his knees and looked as his life force floated in front of him. In midst his own quintessence was a shining, golden, triangular piece. Link looked around. He hadn't noticed that they had warped to the tower, or that the evil twin witches had finished their incantation for the extraction of his Triforce piece. He put a shaking hand to his chest and felt the warmth of his freshly spilled blood on his tunic. He had been so blind by his rage and onslaught that he left himself completely unguarded.

"Oh." Ganondorf's laughter was the only thing Link heard as he fell into darkness but amongst the laughter came the tinkling of a heavenly voice yelling out, "Link! Link!" He smiled. At least he got to hear her voice one last time.


	15. Chapter 14:Fire and Ice

Chapter 14: Fire and Ice

Some people live in the moment. Other's live in the past. Yet there are even people who choose not to live at all. We are all objects of the consequences of the decisions we make. Some choices can lead one's life in a direction which it wasn't supposed to take. Like the opposing forces of fire and ice the life we want can actually clash with the life we are dealt. We are all objects of consequence.

Tetra held Link's head in her lap, brushing some pale blonde locks from his face. Aryll watched her brother with tears spilling from her eyes. Tetra and her crew, after saving Windfall, caught wind that Ganondorf was headed for the goddess' temple to extract the Triforce from Link. Taking out her mother's map, Tetra followed the coordinates of the map until she came upon the large stone tower where she saw Link fall. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest, as her anxiousness turned to fear for Link's life. If only they'd gotten there sooner. Moaning a little, Link looked at them through blurry eyes.

"You're… You're not… not supposed to be here," he groaned hoarsely.

"What are ya sayin'? It's a good thing that we got here when we did. Otherwise it just might've been too late for you," Tetra said in a slightly playful voice as she tried to shed some light on the melancholy situation. Link's eyes closed again.

"It… It's already too… late… I failed…"

"No Link. Everything's gonna be fine you'll see. And everyone back at Windfall is alright. You didn't fail. We've won!"

"… Tetra… It's too late… for me… Be… cause…," he wheezed as he tried to fill his lungs but no air came. Tetra began to cry.

"Link! Shh! Don't say anymore. You'll get better. You'll be alright! Link don't die! You can't die!"

"I…Tetra… Aryll… I… only… lived… to… kill…" With one last sigh, Link's head lulled back and he passed on from their realm of the living. His suffering ended and he died easily. Aryll screamed at seeing her brother's lifeless body and Tetra cried into his chest.

"A shame. He only lived for revenge. What an empty existence and one the world is better rid of. It's been a while princess. If you don't mind, hand over your piece of the Triforce so this can be over quickly," Ganondorf barked with no remorse and no respect for the fallen. Tetra continued to sniffle into Link's chest completely ignoring the murderer of her… shall we say, lover? After all, it was by this time that Tetra truly understood just how much she truly did care for Link even though she had been unwilling to admit it. Had he loved her back? How could he have? He only wanted to see Ganondorf dead and the Triforce safe. Where in his heart was there even room for affection? But… Who's to say he wouldn't have eventually learned to love her after he had succeeded in vanquishing Ganondorf? Tetra cried harder and louder until her sobs rocked her body.

What if? What if? That's all she could think of. What if her mother hadn't died? What if she had resumed her place as the princess? What if? What if? What if she hadn't been born? What if? What if? She wasted too much time thinking about what if.

Now, she saw the now. And right now, she was pissed. Standing defiantly, the blue eyed pirate glared at Ganondorf. She hated every fiber of his being, which was plagued with an evilness she couldn't imagine existed or how it was even permitted to exist. She did know that he had to be disposed of. Not just for Link's sake but for the sake of everyone who lived in New Hyrule. An evil so damned that it could destroy a whole kingdom had to be gotten rid of. Just as Tetra had decided to fight, Aryll screamed.

"_Protector of the Triforce of Courage. We bestow upon you this gift. Protector of the Triforce of Courage. We bestow upon you this gift."_

"No! No! I don't want it! I don't want it! Tetra get it away from me!!" The golden triangular piece that had been extracted from Link, was now hovering in front of a hysterical Aryll. Its eerie green aura surrounded her and Aryll screamed again. Ganondorf watched in befuddlement.

"What? But… Who is this girl?" He questioned. Tetra saw her distressed friend and remembered her mother's story:

"_Whoever gains all three of the pieces may have any one wish granted." _Without thinking, Tetra reached for the triangle. There was a brilliant light, which Aryll shielded her eyes from, and when she opened them, she saw Tetra suspended in air. She was glowing a faint golden color.

"Tetra!"

"That grimy bitch!" Taking his sword in hand, Ganondorf rushed at Tetra. Suddenly, Aryll appeared in his path and stabbed him in the heart with her dagger. He stumbled, but the attack wasn't enough to stop him. Grabbing her by her shirt, he tossed Aryll into a nearby wall. She crumpled to the ground unconsciously. Ganondorf grinned and pulled the dagger from his chest and continued in the direction of Tetra, who was unaware of his approaching form. Her eyes were closed and her chest burned. But the sensation was faint as she seemed to be transported to a place outside herself.

Her humanly mind began to excel pass its worldly knowledge to things beyond anything comprehensible to man as the power coursed through her. Her petite body was overflowing with holy strength and she gasped as the power took its toll on her.

"_Tetra…,"_ a gentle voice spoke within the girl's conscience. The voice was strangely familiar to her but she couldn't quite place her finger on whose it was.

"_Tetra, you are the true Guardian of the Triforce. It is you who must take all three pieces and make the wish. The time is now to release the power. Use the gift from the goddesses and take the final piece. Tetra…"_ The voice faded, but as it did so, the power surged uncontrollably through Tetra and she cried out in pain. Ganondorf had halted his assault when he saw a mystical, orange orb ascend from Tetra's pockets. It hovered in front of her ominously. Mechanically, Tetra took it into her hands and as she did so, the Triforce's power channeled itself through her hands into the ball. Ganondorf took a cautious step back. The orb increased in size and a beam of light shot from it and through Ganondorf, who screamed in pain.

"Ganondorf, thou art not fit to wield the Triforce of Power. Thou soul art not strong enough to realize true power and has become corrupted. We take this gift from thou and curse thou's descendents to wonder aimlessly around The Great Sea," Tetra said robotically. Her voice was amplified by three other female voices and Ganondorf cried out in fear. His essence came from his body the way Link's had done after his piece had been extracted. Also like Link's, a golden triangular piece hovered there. Ganondorf's eyes clouded over and he fell to his knees, then he fell forward. Din's pearl shattered, having completed its job and the last piece of the triangle came to Tetra, completing the Triforce.

The little control she had on her body was gone, and instead, her body became a vessel for the Triforce's desires. She screamed as power flowed out of openings in her body, too much for her small frame to hold, and tears streamed down her eyes. At this time, Aryll awoke from her unconsciousness and saw Tetra's hovering form in the middle of the room. She gasped when she saw Ganondorf's lifeless form and made a move towards Tetra.

"Tet? Tet! Are you alright?? What's going on?" The perplexed female inquired.

"Leave…," a voice rang through Aryll's mind. She blinked in confusion.

"This place is going to be flooded… leave now… and don't worry for me…" Aryll's brown eyes widened and she reached out for Tetra.

"Tet!?"

"Go!" Tetra ordered telepathically.

"But… You're all I have! I won't leave you… Ah! Tetra! Tetra stop it!" With a flick of the finger Tetra had Aryll suspended through air.

"…A… Aryll… I… I'm sorry… I can't… control it… Don't worry… We'll… see… each other again…," Tetra told through gritted teeth. Aryll stared at her and began to cry.

"Tetra…" With the last of her strength, Tetra managed to pull off her triangular necklace and tossed it to Aryll who caught it easily.

"Till… next we meet…" Aryll studied the necklace as she contemplated Tetra's words. Smiling solemnly, Aryll nodded.

"Yea. I'll return it next we meet… Good-bye… Tetra." Tetra grinned but was unable to return the farewell because the Triforce's powers completely overtook her body then. Aryll screamed as she was thrown out from the tower and into the water outside. Tetra grasped her head and cried out. Pieces of the tower began to fall from place and water slowly seeped in through the damaged walls and flooring. Tetra's body began to give out from the over exertion of power until Tetra became unconscious. She fell into the flooded waters and sunk deep into the blue-green depths. It wasn't long before the tower was completely destroyed and flooded.

When Tetra opened her eyes, it was apparent that she was no longer in The Tower of the Gods. Instead, she was in a lush meadow, covered with miles and miles of beautiful flowers and tall grasses. The sky was as clear as the sea and stretched out farther than the eye could see. Tetra stared out beyond the meadow, towards the horizon as she let the warm air wrap itself around her in a comforting blanket.

"Where is this?" She mumbled.

"This is the Golden Land, darling, that is found only in the Sacred Realm… the void between Hyrule and the world beyond," the familiar voice explained. Tetra was now aware of the presence of another person with her. Judging by the voice, the other person was definitely female.

"… Am I… dead…?" Tetra asked the woman. A laugh rung through the air; it was soft and sweet like the tinkling of a bell.

"No. You're not." A sigh of relief escaped Tetra's mouth, but thoughts of previous events filled her mind. She was filled with regret after remembering everything that happened. Her pain, Ganondorf, Link… Her eyes opened and she looked around frantically.

"Link… Link!!" She called. Her voice didn't even carry. Though the space seemed vast and wide, in reality it was confined. Tears filled her eyes.

"Do not fret Tetra. Everything shall be returned to the way it was supposed to be, as long as it is what you wish…," the woman told. Tetra shook her head.

"I… just want to be happy. And I want Link, Aryll, my crew, Ruto… everyone, to be happy. If changing things back to the way they were supposed to be is the only way to do that then so be it. There was a giant gust of wind and someone touched Tetra's shoulder. Tetra turned around and her blues eyes widened. Her mother smiled back at her.

"My child…," she said slowly. Tetra gasped and tears fell down her cheeks.

"M…mother…," she breathed. They embraced and her mother stroked her hair.

"Oh how you've grown… My only regret was missing you become this woman I'm embracing," her mother said with a shaky voice. Tetra tightened the embrace.

"We can have it back mother! All the years taken from us!"

"Yes Tetra… but. There is a condition." Tetra pulled away from her mother and studied her expectantly.

"The Triforce was meant as a gift for Hyrule, but now the goddesses know that it can not be entrusted in the hands of man whose selfish desires could corrupt the very reason for its being. You, me, our entire family has guarded the Triforce of Wisdom for generations. As well as Link and Aryll's family. Ganondorf's family included. You have the power to make this wish to return everything back to the back it was meant, but the Triforce will never again be put in the care of Hyruleans. Should you make this wish, we will be returned to the dawn before this evil entered Hyrule. This could jeopardize our very existences because history will be changed. You won't know any of your friends, and they in turn will not know you. But the world will be at peace and Hyrule will be returned to its glory. Are you still willing to risk it?" Tetra studied her mother's chocolate eyes. They were so serious and her mother looked back at her meaningfully. Tetra had wanted to see her mother's face for so long, she missed her. She missed looking into her eyes. To have her back, to fix everything at the risk of not existing… was it worth it? Tetra thought about Link, Aryll, and the rest of her friends. They would be able to live in peace not knowing she existed and she not knowing that they existed, but they all would be happy none the less. Basically, she was risking her life now for a chance to start over. Smiling, Tetra took her mother's hands into her own.

"Mother… this is what I want. I think everyone I know deserves another chance at happiness." Her mother shared her daughter's smile and nodded.

"As long as you're sure…?" Tetra nodded with certainty.

"Yes. I wish that everything would return to the way it was meant to be and I want everyone I know to be blessed with immense happiness. Let the glory of Hyrule return and the let the fruits of its bounty be harvested by all its residents. Mother… let's start over." Squeezing her daughter's hands, her mother said, "What a woman you've become. I'm so proud of you." Before either one of them had a chance to act, another gust blew, but this time it was strong enough to pull the mother and daughter apart. Tetra rode the wind's currents with a flopping sensation filling her stomach. She was flown way above the meadow and kept flying until the meadow became a small speck. The wind carried her to the edges of the sky, to space, and then Tetra was surrounded by darkness.


	16. Epilogue

Epilogue

"It has been told that the goddesses, the protector's of Hyrule, had blessed us with a relic possessing their essences, but man became corrupt with desire for its power. Now it is no longer accessible to man. Instead, it is hidden in another world…," Amara explained. Her daughter looked at her expectantly, waiting anxiously to hear the rest of the tale. Her mother smiled mischievously and proceeded to continue her work.

"Well? What after that mother?"

"No, no. That's enough for today little princess. Have you forgotten already Tetra? Link and his family are going to be visiting today. Do you really want to be late and make a bad impression?" Tetra huffed angrily and crossed her arms.

"Well… why can't they come tomorrow? I wanna hear the rest of the story!" Amara laughed gently and rubbed a hand through her daughter's soft blonde tresses.

"You know you don't mean that. After all, you've been dying to see Link forever. He's all you ever talk about isn't he?" Blushing shyly, Tetra looked at her feet. Her reaction caused her mother to laugh again and then she took her daughter by the hand and said, "Come on." Tetra didn't argue and allowed her mother to guide her out of the musky library they had crammed themselves into in order for a quiet place to tell stories. The young princess studied the hall filled with portraits and armors and felt like she was one of her ancestors who her mother spoke about constantly in her stories.

Coming into a larger hall, the queen and her child were greeted enthusiastically by countless maids and servants. Passing a glance to one of her friends, a Gerudo girl about her same age, who was also her lady-in-waiting, she mouthed the words, "Link's coming!" Nabooru smiled and mouthed the words, "Tell me about it later!" Tetra nodded and waved to her.

The two continued on route to the court yard where they were expected to be meeting Link's family, and passed the conference room where the Rito Cheiftain was meeting with some important figure head. Tetra spotted his son's attendant, Medli, and whispered, "Psht!" Medli looked around dumbly before seeing Tetra and smiling.

"Link's coming!" Tetra whispered.

"Tell me how he is afterward!" Medli whispered. Tetra nodded and waved good-bye, continuing to follow behind her mother.

It had been three years since the last time Link and Tetra had seen each other. Link was the son of a famous adventurer, who was out exploring and charting lands on The Great Sea at the Queen's request. Link had told Tetra all about it and she was just as engrossed in his adventures as she was in the adventures of her ancestors. He had filled Tetra's imagination with all kind of wonders she had no idea existed. She loved hearing his tales, and eventually she loved him. All of Tetra's close friends knew of her infatuation with him, but he had yet to figure it out. After his father and he departed, they remained close pen pals, writing each other often. Their letters were very detailed and it was almost like they were speaking to each other in person. Recently, one of Link's letters had been extremely melancholy as it described the sudden death of his mother. He was coming back home to bury her, and decided he'd be coming to visit. Of course, the circumstances of his coming back weren't too happy, but Tetra couldn't help but be excited about his simply coming back.

When they were finally upon the courtyard, Tetra's palms sweated and her heart beat increased in speed. She took her mother's hand and squeezed it. Her mother in turn gave her a reassuring squeeze back. They had arrived just in time, for the carriage containing the family and just come. The carriage wasn't fancy, but the horse guiding it was magnificent. Tetra guessed that it wasn't a Hylean breed. She could only wonder where it had come from.

The door opened slowly and Tetra held her breath. First, Link's father stepped out, and then his equipment carrier Daphnes after him. Tetra waited to see Link and finally he showed himself. He'd grown taller since the last time they'd seen each other and had developed some of his manly features, such broad shoulders and a strong chin. He saw her and smiled warmly. She couldn't contain herself anymore, and ran towards him. He caught her in a tight embrace and they stayed that way for what seemed like forever. She savored the feel of his body against hers and he in turn savored the feel of her soft hair and the smell of it. Just when he seemed like the two teenagers wouldn't let go of each other, a voice interrupted the moment and brought them back to reality.

"Big brother?" Tetra let go of him immediately after realizing that people were indeed about. She blushed and turned away from him, not wanting to meet his gaze.

"S…sorry…," she mumbled. She couldn't see Link's coy smile for she was still avoiding his gaze as she thought to herself, "If Impa was here right now… she'd kill me…"

"That's alright princess. I'm happy to see you too." At hearing Link's maturing voice and what he'd said, the red on her cheeks deepened.

"I'd like you to meet my little sister, Aryll. She's just three years old. My mother was raising her…" As he said this, he pulled his little sister from behind him and revealed her to the awaiting princess. The little child was adorable and looked at the princess with big brown eyes. Her blonde pigtails bounced about at the sides of her head as she curtsied politely.

"Nice to meet you!" She stated. Tetra smiled and curtsied back.

"Nice to meet you too!" Before Tetra could do anything else, Aryll pulled out a necklace and put it in Tetra's face.

"Here! This is for you." Tetra took it hesitantly and felt a nostalgic feeling overwhelm her as she cupped the triangular piece at the end of the necklace.

"My mother said to give it to you…" Tetra looked from the triangle back to the little girl and then finally to Link.

"Your mother was very kind… I'm sure I'll miss her just as terribly as you two shall. But, let's not let our sorrow overwhelm us. Instead, let's cherish our memories of her and live the way she wanted us to. Ok?" Link and Aryll nodded slowly. Having no idea where the inspiration for her little speech came from, Tetra placed the necklace in a pouch at her side. For some reason, life seemed complete within the presence of Link and Aryll despite their lost. Life seemed… all right.

* * *

A/N: WAH!! That's the end! ODIFI is finally complete! First, let me thank all my readers for sticking by and staying with the story even though you had to wait months at a time for an installment (which I am truly sorry for but hey, life gets in the way ya know.) but it's done now and I hoped you enjoyed. 

I'd also like to say that I had written this story back when I was thirteen years old and it has seen some big time editing but none as major as this final outcome. I gotta say I'm truly pleased with the story, not just because I got it finished and outta the way, but because of the central message involved. I'll leave you guys to discover it for yourselves. Let me conclude by saying... I hope that my other stories come out just as great.

Adios until next time. :P

_FIN_


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